Courts at the Forefront of Europe’s Value Conflicts

On 27 February 2026, the Mathias Corvinus Collegium’s (MCC) Center for European Studies hosted a high-level panel discussion titled Courts at the Forefront of Europe’s Value Conflicts, bringing together senior judges, legal scholars, and policy experts to examine the evolving role of courts, particularly the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), in shaping the European Union’s constitutional and institutional development.

The Polish Case: Sanctions Without Conditionality – What If All It Took Was a Change of Government?

The paper examines the release of €137 billion in EU funds to Poland following Donald Tusk's return to power in December 2023, raising questions about the European Union's motivations and consistency regarding the rule of law. It critiques the alleged double standards applied to Poland, exploring whether the EU's criteria for withholding funds were genuinely rooted in concerns over judicial independence or driven by political considerations.