Für den polnisch-deutschen Blog WiseEuropa habe ich einen Beitrag über den Konflikt zwischen der Europäischen Union und den sich illiberalisierenden Demokratien Mitteleuropas verfasst, den man hier nachlesen kann. Aufgrund der Zeichenvorgabe hat es leider nicht jede meiner differenzierenden Volten in die finale Fassung geschafft. Diese hier ist mir noch wichtig, weshalb ich sie ergänzen möchte:

Complications

The issue is further complicated by two factors: First, the European Union itself has a lack in democratic legitimacy. The illiberalizing regimes in central Europe claim popular sovereignty while effectively undermining the rule of law; the EU institutions on the other side uphold the rule of law lack democratic legitimacy.

Moreover, and in connection to this, some of the populist movements in illiberalizing member states do have legitimate grounds in asserting national sovereignty against EU law – to some extent. It is not justifiable that the Polish government curbs the freedom of the press and the independence of the judicial branch, yet, it is understandable that many in Poland do not want to give up national sovereignty to institutions with questionable democratic legitimacy – particularly given the Polish history. On a similar note, it is not justifiable that the Italian government refuses ships with refugees to land at their shores, yet they are right in claiming that their country was disproportionately burdened by the handling of migration policies with other countries pushing problems southward.