Patriots for Europe claim Brussels threatens EU rule of law at parliamentary conference

Patriots for Europe organized a European Parliament conference called “Rule of Law Decline in the EU”, asserting that Brussels itself is the biggest threat to the EU’s rule of law. Hungarian delegate Tamás Deutsch opened by recalling his past arrest and warning against a Soviet-style successor, while Polish MEP Anna Bryłka warned of power centralisation, citing Romania’s presidential election annulment and alleged financial pressure on member states.

Fidesz MEP Balázs Orbán blamed EU funding cuts and regulatory actions for weakening Hungary’s former government and highlighted the dissolution of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s Hungarian foundation. German MEP René Aust criticised EU investigations of the AfD, Slovenian MEP Branko Grims attacked NGOs for facilitating migration, and representatives of Freedom and Sovereignty Initiative Europe and the Heritage Foundation denounced a perceived “deep state” of EU judges and bureaucrats. The speakers framed the debate as a clash between national sovereignty and what they described as liberal authoritarianism emanating from EU institutions.