The European Union’s (EU) mechanisms for protecting the democratic rule of law are procedural, economic, and political. Legal and political science scholars have documented how the EU underused these mechanisms in its struggle with autocratising Member States and candidate countries. Autocratising EU Member States have dispelled the deterrence function of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). And scholarship has also acknowledged the limited long-term effects of pre-accession conditionality for candidate states. Learning from the lessons of the past, the EU can improve and make better use of its democracy consolidation toolbox in preparation for enlargement to EU 30+.