EU President Croatia Stays Silent on Hungary’s Democratic Backsliding

Sven Marcelic, an assistant sociology professor at the University of Zadar, told BIRN that one problem facing Croatia during the EU presidency is that, owing to the pandemic, "it is completely enclosed within a national framework", and so cannot fulfill its leadership function in the EU "at a moment when de facto it does not preside".

"The problem is that it needed to react more strongly to this erosion of democracy; I think Croatia did not react sufficiently vigorously," Marcelic added.

"We know that Hungary has had new measures that give [Orban] great powers, which is something that should be an alarm for any democracy, and Croatia did not respond well," Marcelic continued.

Zagreb's guiding principle is 'playing it safe':

Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto hold a press conference after their meeting at the border station of Letenye-Gorican, on the Hungarian-Croatian border. Photo: EPA-EFE/GYORGY VARGA HUNGARY OUT.

In an interview on N1 television on April 19, Foreign Minister Grlic Radman relativized concerns about the erosion of democracy in Hungary as a matter of perception, saying different countries took different approaches to the issue.

Presidency now under shadow of pandemic:

Croatia's six-month presidency of the bloc began on an enthusiastic note but has since been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In light of circumstances, Croatia has cancelled all events related to the EU Council presidency, while the EU-Western Balkans summit, that was planned to be held in Zagreb, will be held on May 6 via a video conference with the full configuration of all EU member...