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EU Mulls Options as Hungary Announces Russian-Style Law
- On May 15, five major independent Hungarian media gathered in Budapest to protest a new government bill against foreign funding.
- The bill, introduced by a Fidesz MP, models Russia's foreign agent law and aims to limit NGOs and media receiving foreign or EU funds.
- Created in late 2023, the newly formed agency tasked with defending Hungary’s sovereignty would be granted the power to compile a blacklist of organizations, barring them from participating in the country’s 1% tax donation program.
- Tens of thousands protested again on May 18, with critics calling the bill an authoritarian attempt to silence dissent and end media pluralism in Hungary.
- The EU is preparing debates and possible actions, including funding suspension and Article 7 procedures, as the bill threatens democracy and rule of law in Hungary.
19 Articles
19 Articles
EU mulls options as Hungary announces Russian-style foreign agent law
Tens of thousands of Hungarians took to the streets over the weekend after the Hungarian government tabled new legislation to monitor foreign funding for NGOs and media outlets or anyone deemed a threat to what it sees as Hungarian sovereign interest. The bill is labeled “Transparency of Public Life” and the government says it is aimed at protecting Hungary’s sovereignty from outside interference. But activists say it mimics Russia’s foreign ag…
István Gyarmati: There Is No European Stability, neither with nor without Moscow
At the event organized for the fiftieth anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the Hungarian draft transparency law was also discussed, which, according to the civil society organizations we interviewed, is contrary to the "Helsinki spirit".
Webinar: Assessing Hungary’s foreign funding bill
On 13 May, the Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented a draft of a new foreign funding bill which represents the most serious attack on Hungarian media in years and is the latest step in a more than decade-long campaign by the government to stigmatise independent journalism, undermine its business model and systematically erode media pluralism. If passed, this legislation would effectively represent the first foreign agent-style l…
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