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Hello, Dictator

July 1, 2021

In the EU, a battle over power and money is raging. Since the summer of 2020, a majority of EU states have been pushing to attach conditions to the allocation of EU funds.

https://p.dw.com/p/3vs06
EU-Sondergipfel in Brüssel
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. von der Hasselt

So that only those countries that adhere to democratic practices receive funds.

The rule-of-law mechanism allows for EU financial support only if there is democratic fair play by member states. So far so good. But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is aggressively challenging that.

Brüssel Angela Merkel und Viktor Orban
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Xinhua/Ye Pingfan

In "Hello, Dictator," Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn calls Hungary a "shackled democracy." Indeed, in one fell swoop, Orbán was able to plunge the EU into crisis - a crisis that was eventually mediated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Was that a case of appeasing an autocrat? Director Michael Wech travels across Europe to analyze the situation.

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