Global Shifts and the Limits of the EU’s Transformative Power in the European Periphery : Comparative Perspectives from Hungary and Turkey

This paper highlights the weakening of the EU's transformative capacity in the broader European periphery in a rapidly shifting global order with reference to Hungary and Turkey. Although Hungary is an “insider” and Turkey a relative “outsider” in the context of the EU, their recent experience display strikingly similar patterns raising important concerns regarding the transformative potential of the EU. Under the influence of strong leaders backed by powerful majorities, both countries have been moving away from the well-established EU norms. The paper proposes an analytical framework based on a combination of push-and-pull factors, which explains the declining appeal of the EU over its periphery, not only with reference to the internal dynamics of European integration and its multiple crises, but also the appeal of the strategic capitalism from rising powers, serving as a reference point for the elites of several states in diverse geographical settings