Orban Vs. 'Liberal' Europe

During an annual speech four years ago, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban coined a term now often used to describe his own government and others like it: an "illiberal democracy". Since that speech, Orban has only further taken his country down this "illiberal" path. He has taken on the media, weakened the country's independent judiciary, and gone head-to-head with democratic institutions in the country. His big election victory in April further emboldened Orban and his actions on these fronts.

In the same annual speech this year, that emboldened Orban took his message further, offering up a roadmap for like-minded right-wing parties and governments across the Continent rather than just at home. "Let us confidently declare that Christian democracy is not liberal," he told the crowd, saying aligned parties must "concentrate all our strength" on "important and decisive" European Parliament elections next spring.

There has been plenty said and debated about the future direction of Europe — and about the differing viewpoints on what that future should be. Orban's is one strongly defined view which, with the rise of right-wing populism across the Continent, is taking on more credence these days. With European elections looming next spring, Orban has issued a rallying cry to bring that vision to other European countries (and therefore to Brussels). The extent to which his message resonates will say a lot about how Europe answers these big questions about its future.