FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The leaders of the two countries have been holding regular secret meetings in a bit to improve relations and work together. One political expert said the two countries were putting the European Union (EU) on the spot by working towards their own power hub - with Brussels unable to “do much about it”. Hungarian-Polish political scientist Dominik Hejj said: “The relations are very strong, and almost every week a Polish minister visits Hungary and vice versa.”

GETTY Poland and Hungary are teaming up to out-manoeuvre the EU

He said the relations between the two countries and the EU had “cooled down”. Mr Hejj said the two main parties in each country, PiS in Poland and Fidesz in Hungary, had much in common. He said: “There is, of course, no one hundred percent agreement, but the ideas of PiS are the same as those of Fidesz.

GETTY Viktor Orban is doing his utmost to make life hard for EU chiefs

The EU can't do much about it Dominik Hejj

“Hungary has shown Poland that they can act domestically as they wish. The EU can't do much about it.” He did qualify the warning by saying relations with the EU had not yet deteriorated beyond repair. Mr Hejj said: “Nothing has happened - at most, relations with Brussels have cooled down.”

Another expert also raised questions over the influence of the EU over Hungary. Aleksander Fuksiewicz of the Institute of Public Affairs in Warsaw said: “We can never be sure of the influence of the EU Commission or Germany on Hungary. “European politics is a 'hostage' to domestic policy.”

GETTY The EU are helpless to stop Poland and Hungary's growing union

The claims come amid heightening tension between the EU and Poland in particular. Poland’s government are attempting to implement a series of new judicial reviews, prompting pro-EU protests in Warsaw.

Protesters take to the streets across Poland Mon, July 24, 2017 Thousands take to the streets across Poland to protest against the new bill changing the judiciary system. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 14 Protesters shout slogans during a protest in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw