Contents

1 The Visegrad countries and the EU 9

2 Hungary 10

2.1 Hungary under Orbán 10

2.2 EU rule of law mechanisms used against Hungary 11

2.3 Hungary, Russia and Ukraine 12

2.4 April 2026 parliamentary election 13

3 Poland 14

3.1 The Law and Justice governments, 2015 to 2023 14

3.2 Response to Russian invasion of Ukraine 16

3.3 Donald Tusk government since December 2023 16

New president blocks government agenda 17

Approaches towards Ukraine and the EU 18

Continuity on migration policy 18

4 Slovakia 20

4.1 Robert Fico and the Smer-SD party 20

4.2 Fico’s return as prime minister in 2023 20

4.3 Developments since 2023 22 EU warnings on NGO laws and legal action on constitutional changes 22 Position on Russia and Ukraine 23

5 The Czech Republic 25

5.1 Andrej Babiš and the rise of ANO 2011 25 Presidential election, January 2023 26

5.2 Babiš returns to office following 2025 parliamentary election 26

The coalition between ANO11, SPD and AUTO 28