Daniel Hegedus

Zsuzsanna Végh (ed.): Mapping Illiberalism in Europe - Comparative Country Perspectives 📖 AUTHLIB Country Papers: The edited volume offers comparative perspectives on the illiberal challenge in seven European countries. Edited by Zsuzsanna Végh (GMF).

What does illiberalism actually look like across Europe - in parties, voters, and institutions?

The new @authlibeu.bsky.social Country Papers, edited by the ✨ @veghzsuzsanna.bsky.social, provide one of the most systematic comparative mappings to date.
www.authlib.eu/country-pape... 🧵👇

Hungarian election campaign enters hot phase with Orbán challenged With two months until Hungary's April election, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has intensified his anti-Ukraine rhetoric, while leading challenger Péter Magyar promises to curb corruption and tax relief ...

Hungary’s Election Heats Up: Ukraine, the EU and Trump

#Orbán sharpens his anti-Ukraine and anti-EU tone — with Trump’s backing in the mix. What does it mean for the opposition? Euronews asked #Hungary expert @danielhegedus.bsky.social.

www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

The Greenland crisis is a trigger for Iceland and Norway to join EU bloc The Greenland crisis can be used as a strategic trigger to reinvigorate the Nordic enlargement of the European Union, with Iceland and Norway offered membership. Germany, France, and the United Kingdo...

3.
Check out my piece published by @euobserver.com.
👉 euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

@gmfus.bsky.social
@iep-berlin.de
@ceudeminst.bsky.social

2.
... potentially influences U.S. behavior by shaping its cost–benefit calculations.

This can be achieved if the crisis is used as a strategic trigger to reinvigorate the Nordic enlargement of the European Union.

Some thoughts before today's informal EUCO.
THREAD 1/3

Rather than remaining merely reactive, the EU should approach the Greenland crisis within NATO in a way that strengthens its own geopolitical posture, improves Arctic security, and ...

Thank you, Gesine—truly kind of you.
I hope we can continue some of our long discussions, and that we will have the opportunity to cooperate closely on European security in the future.

Thank you, Gwen!

New Deputy Director at the IEP | IEP IEP is pleased to announce that Daniel Hegedüs has been appointed as Deputy Director of the Institute, effective February 2026.

iep-berlin.de/en/press/heg...

I’m excited to share that from February 1 I’ll be joining the Institute für Europäische Politik @iep-berlin.de as its new Deputy Director.
I’m very much looking forward to working with the fantastic IEP team and to engaging closely with partners in the Berlin bubble, across Europe, and beyond.

Daniel Hegedüs - How to Better Protect and Support Civil Society in the EU? 📖 AUTHLIB Policy Paper: Daniel Hegedüs (GMF) analyzes the illiberal challenge to civil society and proposes answers to protect the civil sector in the EU.

7.
👉You can check out my paper following the link above.
www.authlib.eu/policy-paper...

6.
• a reform of the OECD Official Development Assistance (ODA) system, including the separation of ODA and democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) spending targets, and the removal of existing ODA eligibility criteria for DRG expenditures.

5.
• future-proofing EU civil society support through diversification and the extension of the European Endowment for Democracy’s mandate to include grantmaking within the EU itself;

4.
• complementing targeted support for vulnerable groups with a robust whole-of-society approach to democratic resilience;

3.
Regarding my recommendations, I argue for:
• a strengthened enforcement approach by the European Commission against anti–civil society legislation, including the application of established judicial tests to trigger requests for interim measures;

2.
characterized by anti–civil society legislation, the rise of illiberal actors, anti–civil society cooperation between the center-right and the far right in the European Parliament, and challenges stemming from the adversarial turn of the United States.

Daniel Hegedüs - How to Better Protect and Support Civil Society in the EU? 📖 AUTHLIB Policy Paper: Daniel Hegedüs (GMF) analyzes the illiberal challenge to civil society and proposes answers to protect the civil sector in the EU.

📢How to Better Protect and Support Civil Society in the EU?

In frame of the @authlibeu.bsky.social project, I put pen to paper to explore how the EU should address the complex threat landscape facing European civil society,

THREAD 1/7
www.authlib.eu/policy-paper...

@gmfus.bsky.social

European Responses to the Shrinking Spaces of Democracy How to counter illiberal attacks on civil society, media and human rights? Join our discussion on January 20 (Tuesday) at 3:00 p.m. CET.

📢 How do illiberal actors shrink democratic space in the EU—and what can be done?
Join our @authlibeu.bsky.social panel discussion on media freedom, civil society & gender equality with Mila Moshelova, Konrad Bleyer-Simon & Zsuzsanna Vegh

📅 Jan 20, 2026 15:00 CET
RSVP www.authlib.eu/shrinking-sp...

European Responses to the Shrinking Spaces of Democracy How to counter illiberal attacks on civil society, media and human rights? Join our discussion on January 20 (Tuesday) at 3:00 p.m. CET.

📢 How do illiberal actors shrink democratic space in the EU—and what can be done?
Join our @authlibeu.bsky.social panel discussion on media freedom, civil society & gender equality with Mila Moshelova, Konrad Bleyer-Simon & Zsuzsanna Vegh

📅 Jan 20, 2026 15:00 CET
RSVP www.authlib.eu/shrinking-sp...

European Responses to the Shrinking Spaces of Democracy How to counter illiberal attacks on civil society, media and human rights? Join our discussion on January 20 (Tuesday) at 3:00 p.m. CET.

📢 How do illiberal actors shrink democratic space in the EU—and what can be done?

Join our discussion on media freedom, civil society & gender equality with @ksimon.bsky.social @danielhegedus.bsky.social & Mila Moshelova

🗓️ Jan 20, 2026 | 🕒 15:00 CET
👉 Register: www.authlib.eu/shrinking-sp...

5/5
If this sounds intriguing, keep an eye out for the forthcoming paper. Stay tuned.

4/5
• a reform of the OECD Official Development Assistance (ODA) system, including the separation of ODA and democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) spending targets, and the removal of existing ODA eligibility criteria for DRG expenditures.

3/5
• future-proofing EU civil society support through diversification and the extension of the European Endowment for Democracy’s mandate to include grantmaking within the EU itself;

2/5
• a strengthened enforcement approach by the European Commission against anti–civil society legislation, including the application of established judicial tests to trigger requests for interim measures;

It was a great pleasure to speak at the “Mapping the Illiberal Challenge” closing conference of @authlibeu.bsky.social at the CEU.
Presenting the key arguments and recommendations of my upcoming policy paper, “How to Better Protect and Support Civil Society in the EU?”, I argued for:
THREAD 1/5

⚠️ @danielhegedus.bsky.social @gmfus.bsky.social discussed the illiberal challenge to democratic civil society in Europe and put forward elaborate EU-level recommendations to protect and strengthen the sector.
Stay tunedned for the paper!

Europe’s Rise or Fall – A Drama in Three Acts At the beginning of the year, it is customary to speculate about what the months ahead may bring—particularly in foreign policy.

The first piece—unsurprisingly—focuses on what lies ahead. Not in 2026, but in the next 16 months, leading up to April 2027 and the watershed French presidential election.

Enjoy this European drama packed in three acts.

ballhausplatz.substack.com/p/europes-ri...

THREAD
I am pleased to share that I started my personal Substack "Ballhausplatz".
Expect a regular dose of EU integration, geopolitics and Transatlantic affairs, ironclad commitment to liberal democracy mixed with provocatively value-agnostic Realpolitik, coming with a Central European flair.

What is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán willing to do to stay in power? Podcast Episode · The Global Agora · 12/29/2025 · 24m

What is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán willing to do to stay in power? My 🎙 #podcast, #TheGlobalAgora, with @danielhegedus.bsky.social:
▶️ creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
▶️ Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
▶️ Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/6UdP...
#Trump #Russia #Putinswar #Ukraine #Hungary

What is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán willing to do to stay in power? Andrej Matisak published a post on Ko-fi

What is Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán willing to do to stay in power? My 🎙️ #podcast, #TheGlobalAgora with
@danielhegedus.bsky.social:
▶️ ko-fi.com/post/What-is...
If you enjoy what I do, please buy me ☕️ coffee. Thank you! #Hungary #politics #Trump #Russia #Ukraine #Putinswar

The Blueprint to Kill the EU: Complacency About the Trump-Threat to Europe Would Be Fatal Dimitar Keranov (GMF) explains how the rise of the far-right party, institutional paralysis, and state capture threaten Bulgaria’s democratic path.

💡New on the AUTHLIB Blog

Europe is torn between shock, indignation, and complacency regarding the US National Security Strategy, writes @danielhegedus.bsky.social @gmfus.bsky.social. Instead, it should prepare to counter the threats it may pose to the EU.

💭 Read now: www.authlib.eu/the-blueprin...