IDM Director Schäffer on Hungary’s election: „Outliers have a way of becoming templates“

Ahead of Hungary’s landmark election on 12 April, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer gave an in-depth interview to AzerNEWS, analysing what was at stake for EU-Hungary relations, transatlantic dynamics, and Ukraine policy. Schäffer cautioned against expecting rapid change even under a Magyar government: „A change in government in Budapest is an opportunity, not a resolution,“ warning that the EU must use any window of opportunity to overhaul its instruments, starting with a reform of Article 7 of the TFEU, „which has proven essentially inoperable.“ On US involvement, Schäffer noted a fundamental double standard: „The same actors who accuse the EU of interfering in sovereign democratic processes are actively campaigning for a specific outcome in a member state election.“ On Ukraine, he anticipated recalibration rather than rupture under Magyar, with less obstruction and more „constructive ambiguity“ — adding that in EU politics, „trust, predictability, and good-faith engagement matter enormously, and that alone can make a substantial difference.“ 

The full article is available here: https://www.azernews.az/analysis/256922.html