Central European University - Budapest Campus

On March 18, 2025, the Hungarian Parliament passed legislation aimed at protecting children from assemblies that promote homosexuality. Although the amendment imposes general limitations on freedom of assembly, it is commonly understood as a ban on the LGBTQ+ Pride march, just ahead of the 30th anniversary in 2025. The new law purposefully violates European human rights standards on freedom of assembly and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as fundamental values of the European Union, such as the rule of law and democracy (Article 2 TEU).

This paper presents a text-based method for measuring illiberalism. Our approach distinguishes between political actors within the same country and is sensitive to different subtypes of illiberalism—such as anti-pluralism, nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and the villainization of political opponents. The model combines word embeddings, trained on actor- and time-specific text, with dictionaries of liberal and illiberal terms. We apply our measures to 67 political parties across seven European legislatures (1996-2022) and two issues: gender politics and immigration. Our results identify differences in the degrees and varieties of illiberalism across countries, systematically demonstrating illiberalism’s political relevance.

Abstract In this study we investigate the implementation and challenges of accessing archives in the digital age. Through an online survey and expert interviews, data were collected from archival institutions, professional users, and civil society organizations in all Council of Europe member states. The findings reveal that digitization has had a positive impact on document accessibility, providing convenience, reducing workload, and improving user access. However, only a small portion of archival holdings have been digitized, highlighting the need for further efforts in this area. Data protection and copyright present significant obstacles, with the European General Data Protection Regulation leading to access restrictions and legal uncertainties. Preservation, interoperability, and organization of records pose challenges in the digital realm, and while artificial intelligence shows promise in automating metadata creation and identifying sensitive materials, concerns about algorithmic biases and the need for additional checks are highlighted. To enhance accessibility, user-friendly interfaces, cooperation among memory preserving institution, and outreach to new user groups are crucial, which can ensure the effective preservation and accessibility of digital collections in the digital age. We provide insights for policy-making and archival institutions in navigating the evolving landscape of accessibility.

At a time when calls for the EU to respond to Musk’s provocations multiply, critical questions about whether, why, and how the EU may react remain largely unanswered. Musk’s conduct, which spans sectors as diverse as social media (X, formerly Twitter), AI (xAI), satellite technology (Starlink), space rockets (SpaceX), and electric vehicles (Tesla), pose unique challenges to existing legal frameworks. His multi-industry influence gives rise to profound questions about the limits of individual influence and power accumulation in a complex geopolitical landscape.

This paper presents a text-based method for measuring illiberalism. Our approach distinguishes between political actors within the same country and is sensitive to different subtypes of illiberalism—such as anti-pluralism, nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and the villainization of political opponents. The model combines word embeddings, trained on actor- and time-specific text, with dictionaries of liberal and illiberal terms. We apply our measures to 67 political parties across seven European legislatures (1996-2022) and two issues: gender politics and immigration. Our results identify differences in the degrees and varieties of illiberalism across countries, systematically demonstrating illiberalism’s political relevance.

Our symposium ‘Musk, Power, and the EU’ has evolved in parallel with the inauguration of the new US administration and has been marked by numerous and unprecedented attacks on the European Union. Amid a flurry of announcements challenging the status quo - often with brutal disregard, even against traditional allies - the European Union, along with the way it exercises power, suddenly appears as the antithesis of the new America. Yet does the EU have what it takes to resist such an expansionist and plutocratic projection of power, which now threatens Europe’s security, lifestyle and overall existence?