In the paper, we show why the EU has a legal mandate to actively guide and support democratic frontsliding.

Importantly it should not declare success too early, electoral turnover ≠ democratic restoration. Frontsliding requires deep-reaching reforms!

This shifts the normative problem of frontsliding: what should constrain a dominant government in a hollowed system, where checks and balances have been eroded by prior backsliding?

Institutional hand-tying may become even more important.

Much will depend on how entrenched actors, e.g. captured courts, respond.

Tisza’s supermajority allows dismantling of many of these enclaves through legislation, so it would fail the necessity requirement restorative disobedience within the proportionality criterion.

In Poland, dismantling autocratic enclaves may require transgressive acts, even rule-breaking, which we call “restorative disobedience.” But this must meet demanding normative criteria: institutional hand-tying, public justification, & proportionality. How might Hungary differ?

Democratic frontsliding in the EU is real! #Hungary

Curious what people think: how does our frontsliding framework travel from Poland to Hungary?

In our new paper @chrishillion.bsky.social, @tommasopavone.bsky.social & I examine the challenges of democratic restoration after backsliding.
👇 thread

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗨 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴? Yesterday's #election in #Hungary forces us to grapple w/ the politics of "𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨." In @jeppjournal.bsky.social, @chrishillion.bsky.social, @ascherz.bsky.social & I have an argument- and warning- from Poland 👇thread

🇭🇺🎉THREAD 1/3
The dismantling of state capture is already beginning today

In his victory speech, Péter Magyar called for the resignation of
– Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary
– the President of the Constitutional Court
– the President of Hungary’s Supreme Court (the Curia)
– the Prosecutor General

Magyar has called on the national president to resign so that the new parliament can elected a new president. (Orban amended the law on the presidency in December to make it impossible for the parliament to impeach the president.) If Sulyok stays, he can act as roadblock for the new govt.

Fraud accusations fly as Hungarians vote in contentious election Orbán supporters are already gearing up for a confrontation once the results come in, with experts warning the outcome could be challenged in court no matter who wins.

If Orbán loses election but challenges results in the kangaroo courts he has packed with party loyalists, the EU will have a dilemma on its hands. The EU has long accepted unfair elections in Hungary but what would it do if an autocrat blatantly stole an election? www.politico.eu/article/frau...

Truly insane turnout. Something unimaginable has to happen in the afternoon for overall turnout not to break the record. 80% is now imaginable. Perhaps people were not lying when 80+% told pollsters they are certain to vote, yet we dismissed those numbers as unrealistic.

Hungary's elections: What they reveal, and what they cannot fix - ARENA Centre for European Studies Electoral change is necessary for democratic renewal in Hungary. It is not sufficient.

Yes, we made a podcast about the Hungarian elections. Bear with us. 🇭🇺🫠

🗳️ Why a poll lead isn't enough
🏛️ Why a new government inherits a system designed to outlast it
🌍 Why rule of law enforcement matters more if the opposition wins

With Alida Steigler (@unioslo-jus.bsky.social).

🎧 sptfy.in/arena

In 2025 @chrishillion.bsky.social, @ascherz.bsky.social & I proposed a theory of "democratic frontsliding" & "restorative disobedience" to confront recalcitrant "autocratic enclaves" & restore democracies that backslid. Poland is our key case. Read/share our new/improved paper! tinyurl.com/mrx7kep9

What should the EU do about #Hungary? 🇪🇺🇭🇺

New ARENA Europa podcast ep. is out!

We often ask what’s feasible instead of what’s right when it comes to #RoL enforcement in the #EU. @vmakszimov.bsky.social asked me about what “the right thing” might be.

🔗 Listen here: open.spotify.com/show/2lyLtQi...

Authority, Authoritarianism, and Political Theory General Conference 2026, 8 – 11 September, Jagiellonian University, Kraków

📣 Call for #ecprgc26 Panels & Papers
🏛️ Authority, Authoritarianism, and Political Theory
🪑 @tlechtable.bsky.social & @ascherz.bsky.social
⌛ Deadline: 5 Jan buff.ly/sOfsXUu

#PoliSky #CallforPapers #Democracy

The European Union’s responsibility to protect refugees What are the responsibilities of the EU in the context of asylum? This paper distinguishes between two possible different answers to this question. A first answer understands the responsibilities o...

7. Amighetti, S., & Harb, S. (2025). The European Union’s responsibility to protect refugees. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 1–24. doi.org/10.1080/1369...

What makes international institutions legitimate to citizens of non-democratic states? There is limited research on international legitimacy from the perspective of ordinary citizens in non-democratic states. These citizens have restricted opportunities for political participation an...

5. Do, H. (2025). What makes international institutions legitimate to citizens of non-democratic states? doi.org/10.1080/1369...
6. Beckman, L. (2025). Legitimacy at sea. Authority and extraterritorial border controls. doi.org/10.1080/1369...

Legitimate authority, institutional specialisation and distributive international law How should international law’s role in determining international distributive outcomes, economic and otherwise, affect how we think about its legitimate authority? Domestic institutions’ legitimate...

3. Suttle, O. (2025). Legitimate authority, institutional specialisation and distributive international law. doi.org/10.1080/1369...
4. Hassoun, N. (2025). Legitimate distribution without legislation. 1–29. doi.org/10.1080/1369...

Legitimate international authority and institutional diversity While international institutions are a frequent and increasing focus of political challenge and critique, evaluating their normative legitimacy raises novel theoretical challenges. International in...

List of papers:
1. Scherz, A., & Suttle, O. (2025). Legitimate international authority and institutional diversity. doi.org/10.1080/1369...
2. Adams, N. P. (2025). Legitimacy, institutional functions, and the state system. doi.org/10.1080/1369...

Other great contributions explore legitimacy and democracy across international law, global justice, and migration — from @npadams.prof, Nicole Hassoun, @hongdp.bsky.social, @beckmanprof.bsky.social, @saramichetta.bsky.social & Siba Harb, and @oisinsuttle.bsky.social

Climate scientists as trustees in public reason: the legitimacy of political institutions amid non-epistemic values Addressing global challenges like climate change requires both national action and international collaboration. However, it remains unclear under what conditions international institutions, such as...

My paper with @lgarciaportela.bsky.social asks how climate science fits into this picture.
We argue that climate scientists act as trustees in systems of public reason — balancing expertise with democratic accountability in climate governance. 🌍
👉 doi.org/10.1080/1369...

New special issue out! 🎉
“Legitimate International Authority and Institutional Diversity” — edited by @oisinsuttle.bsky.social & me in Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy.
How can we judge the legitimacy of diverse international institutions?
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1369...

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry Commission’s 72-page legal analysis cites examples including scale of killings, aid blockages and forced displacement * Middle East crisis – live updates A UN commission of inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited these acts. It cited examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding, adding its voice to rights groups and others that have reached the same conclusion. Continue reading...

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry

Speaker slide Thiago de Souza Amparo, Journalist and professor of International Law and Human Rights at FGV Fundacao Getulio Vargas

How can:
-we build resilience in times of overburdening threats
-we re-imagine what democracy & the rule of law look like in turbulent times
-the EU adapt to emerge stronger?

At the European #RuleofLaw Conference 2025, our opening panel brings together voices from journalism, academia & practice⬇️

🗳️ Restoring democracy after years of erosion is hard work 🇪🇺

In a new IGCC blogpost, @chrishillion.bsky.social , @tommasopavone.bsky.social & I argue that "frontsliding" may require restorative disobedience—proportionate defiance of entrenched illiberal structures.

👉 ucigcc.org/blog/poland-...

Check out JEPP's collection on EU responses to democratic backsliding, bringing to together some of newest research on the topic!
Including one of my papers about what the EU should do

AG Ćapeta recently explained why Frontex may be held liable for fundamental rights violations that occur during joint return operations.

LAURA SALZANO on this latest development in the applicants’ quest for accountability in WS v Frontex.

verfassungsblog.de/we-were-just...

New paper w/ @chrishillion.bsky.social & @tommasopavone.bsky.social
What does it take not just to defend democracy—but to rebuild it?
Developing the concepts of democratic frontsliding and restorative disobedience we analyze how liberal democracy can be restored: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Presenting work on democratic frontsliding at this great AuthLIB workshop in Budapest. Thank you for the very helpful discussion!

Our "Defending Liberalism" workshop is underway at @ceudeminst.bsky.social

🗨️ What are the normative limits of protecting democracy from illiberal actors? How can we respond to their varieties?

Our agenda: www.authlib.eu/defending-li...

🗣️ @zmiklosi.bsky.social @zsolt.bsky.social & Andres Moles

Follow the Stockholm Center on Global Governance for updates! @scgg-official.bsky.social The center brings together researchers at @stockholm-uni.bsky.social and beyond for events, interdisciplinary research, and policy in global governance. #polisky #Europesky