Abstract

This paper deals with the ways in which the European Union cope with recent deviations from the shared values of rule of law and democracy in some of the new Member States in East-Central Europe, especially in Hungary and Poland. The paper argues that during the fight over the compliance with the core values of the EU pronounced in Article 2 TEU with the Hungarian and Polish governments the EU institutions so far have proven incapable of enforcing compliance, which considerably undermined not only the legitimacy of the Commission, but also that of the entire rule of law oversight.