Attacks on George Soros in Central-Eastern European states.
Wealthy Hungarian-US financier and philanthropist George Soros has recently become instrumentalised by Central-Eastern European (CEE) politicians who present him as the symbol of a remote, non-native amd illegitimate elite. In part because of the anti-Soros campaign, opposition to liberal ideas and globalisation and broader rhetorical and administrative attacks on dissent are fast becoming mainstream in CEE countries.
The rise of illiberal politics in CEE will deepen existing divisions within the EU and hinder further integration.
Anti-Soros mobilisation in CEE furthers Russia’s strategic goal of undermining Western cohesion.
As philanthropy comes under attack, East European civil society groups are likely to suffer, further weakening young democracies.
