"Over the course of the last decade, the Hungarian government has been tightening the space for independent civil society. Fidesz, the ruling party, has been seeking to build long-lasting strings of national and right-wing power. Meanwhilesimilar tendencies are being practised in neighbouring countries, including Slovenia and Slovakia. The calculated protests of the European Union and its institutions are a reaction to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán's open plans to establish an ‘illiberal democracy' in Hungary and, if possible, in other parts of central and south-eastern Europe. Against this background, this article assesses the relationship between the Hungarian government and its civil society organisationson the one hand and the repercussions that this has for central and south-eastern Europe on the other. Three guiding questions must be discussed: why is civil society in Hungary in such a difficult position? Furthermore, in what ways are the structural discrimination against independent organisations being justified? And, finally, what is the role played by Hungary's east European neighbours?

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