Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa and James F. Downes argue that the EU faces a dilemma: should it pursue continued enlargement, or contract its membership
We propose the EU abandons its continued enlargement efforts and instead adopts a strategy of contraction. More specifically, it should reduce membership from 27 to 26 by managing the phased exit of member state Hungary.
Yes! Get them the fuck out of the EU. They obviously hate being a member.
It would do all the German people with their hearts in the right place a favour. However, Volkswagen is laying off workers in their hometown of Wolfsburg while heavily relying on their nearshored cheap Hungarian workforce in Győr, Hungary. They will take the money they get from that, and lobby the many times reelected centre-right German government to keep Hungary in, so the biggest engine factory of VW keeps being inside Schengen.
Hungary will get kicked out as soon as the EU will enforce that original ICE car sale ban by 2035.
That's a very good point. The center right (arguably now becoming more right-wing than center) would give in to VWs lobbying without any pushback whatsoever (as is usual). One can only hope they don't win the next national elections.