This page contains a description of Hungary’s autocratization episode, as well as an analysis of its environmental performance during the autocratization episode using literature and EPI data.
Democratic performance
Under President Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s democracy broke down. According to V-Dem, it is an electoral autocracy (Arioli, 2025), and Freedom House (2024) classifies it as a “transitional or hybrid regime”. Shortly after Orbán’s party Fidesz came to power, the Hungarian government redrew the map of electoral constituencies in such a way that Fidesz got a larger electoral advantage. In doing so, Fidesz “gerrymandered the entire country in its own favor” (Scheppele, 2022). In addition, the independent judiciary was hollowed out, for example by lowering the retirement age for judges and naming new judges (Shah, 2025).
Environmental performance according to literature
In terms of public rhetoric, Orbán has been supportive of pro-environmental policies. When he came to power in 2010, he said the government would “enforce the will of national unity in the environment and restore the primacy of the common good” (Papp, 2025). Additionally, in his 2020 state of the nation address, Orbán (2020) called protecting the climate and nature “our Christian and patrotic duty”. Around the same time, he announced a climate action plan, with measures including the planting of trees, support for the production and purchase of cheap electric vehicles, the electrification of buses, and support for a green transition of small- and medium-sized businesses (Xinhua, 2020).
However, the Hungarian government has mostly been skeptical of environmental policies. Orbán has privately called environmental protection a “left-wing issue” which hinders economic development (Kovács, 2016), according to Zoltan Illés, a fellow Fidesz member. On top of that, Hungary has opposed most of the EU’s plans for increased environmental ambitions. Notably, Hungary was one of the four countries which tried to block the EU’s plans to become carbon-neutral by 2025 (SGI Network, 2024).
environmental performance according to epi
The area marked green is the autocratization episode.
In terms of performance, Hungary improved its CO2 performance during the beginning of the autocratization episode, from 2010 onwards. From 2016 onwards, Hungary’s CO2 performance started becoming worse. The CO2 performance in 2022 was around 10 points lower than it was in the late 90s.
conclusion
Hungary autocratized under Orbán, leading to the end of Hungarian democracy and the emergence of an electoral autocratic system. Under Orbán, the Hungarian government has publicly supported environmental policies, but has been more disruptive in the EU. The EPI data shows an initial increase in CO2 performance during the autocratization episode, but a deterioriation from 2016 onwards, leading to the CO2 performance in 2022 being significantly lower than it was in the late 90s.
Literature
Arioli, S. (2025, January 15). Rising anti-pluralism in Hungary’s Fidesz party. V-Dem. https://www.v-dem.net/weekly_graph/rising-anti-pluralism-in-hungarys-fidesz-party
Freedom House. (2024). Hungary: Nations in Transit 2024. Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/country/hungary/nations-transit/2024
Kovács, Z. (2016, March 25). Így használt, aztán elárult a Fidesz. 24.hu. https://24.hu/kozelet/2016/03/25/illes-zoltan-hasznalt-aztan-elarult-a-fidesz/
Orbán, V. (2020, February 17). Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s “State of the Nation” address. Government of Hungary. https://2015-2019.kormany.hu/en/the-prime-minister/the-prime-minister-s-speeches/prime-minister-viktor-orban-s-state-of-the-nation-address-2020
Papp, Z. (2025, October 25). Itt valamit nagyon elrontott az Orbán-kormány, úgy fogja a háborúra a magyar gazdaság problémáit, hogy eközben a környező országok növekedni tudnak. NepszaVa. https://nepszava.hu/3299114_magyarorszag-gazdasag-problemak-orosz-ukran-haboru-kuso-kornyezet-mutogatas-korkep
Scheppele, K. L. (2022). How Viktor Orbán wins. Journal of Democracy, 33(3), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2016.0012
SGI Network. (2024). Hungary: Environmental sustainability. Bertelsmann Stiftung. https://www.sgi-network.org/2024/Hungary/Environmental_Sustainability
Shah, S. (2025, April 18). How to erode a democracy: Hungary’s illiberal turn under Orbán. Democratic Erosion. https://democratic-erosion.org/2025/04/18/how-to-erode-a-democracy-hungarys-illiberal-turn-under-orban/
Xinhua. (2020, February 17). Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s state of the nation address. XinhuaNet. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-02/17/c_138789400.htm