A Media Freedom Alert on Hungary published by media freedom organisations has called for the withdrawal of a Bill to Register Organisations Receiving Funds from Abroad.
The Alert was published on the Platform for the Safety of Journalists on 20 May by the European Federation of Journalists/International Federation of Journalists, the Association of European Journalists, Committee to Protect Journalists, and International Press Institute. The Council of Europe sends all media freedom alerts published by its partner organisations to the governments concerned with a request for a written reply and “follow-up action” to remove the threat to journalists’ safety, This Hungary alert included a demand by the EFJ/IFJ, AEJ, CPJ and IPI for the withdrawal of the so-called “On Transparency in the Public Sphere” bill as the expected “follow-up action” by the government.
Hungary is one of a small number of Council of Europe member states which generally fail to cooperate with the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Safety of Journalists ’s by responding to verified media freedom alert filed by the fifteen “partner” NGOs and journalists’ organisations. The Platform is a Europe-wide early warning and rapid response mechanism. Last month the Platform partner organisations and the Council of Europe marked the tenth anniversary of its original launch in 2015.
The Council of Europe has also intensified its unprecedented Journalists Matter campaign , which has mobilised many European governments to take significant initiatives to protect journalists from violence, legal harassment, and other forms of abuse as a matter of urgent priority.
On World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, 2025, the thirteen Council of Europe member states belonging to the “Group of Friends” of the Council of Europe on the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom published a joint Statement which publicly urged all European governments to establish rapid response mechanisms and to respond in good faith to media freedom alerts when they are published on the Platform. The Group of Friends’ Statement said in part:-
We must act to counter [these] numerous threats. Member States should do their part by implementing the instruments developed by the Council of Europe and applying the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as by establishing national action plans for the safety of journalists and rapid response mechanisms to alerts published on the Council of Europe’s Safety of Journalists Platform. On the Platform’s tenth anniversary, we acknowledge its significant role in the protection of press freedom across Europe.
The Group of Friends consists of Austria, France, Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The 3 May joint Statement was also endorsed by a further 23 Council of Europe member states
https://www.routledge.com/The-Policies-and-Power-of-Public-Diplomacy-Wilton-Parks-Road/Hopkinson/p/book/9781032831251
Hungary: Bill to Register Organisations Receiving Funds from Abroad Tabled in Parliament
Reply expected by 16 Aug 2025
Follow-up 20 May 2025 · Created 16 May 2025
Partners: efj/ifj ; aej ; cpj ; ipi
Other acts having chilling effects on media freedom
Source of threat: State
Level 1
On 13 May 2025 János Halász, a Member of Parliament from Fidesz – the ruling party led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – tabled a bill in Parliament to establish “a register of organisations that threaten Hungary’s sovereignty with foreign aid.” The bill, titled On Transparency in the Public Sphere, bears strong resemblance to “foreign agent” legislation introduced in the Russian Federation. While the draft does not explicitly mention the media, its scope includes “any legal person or entity without legal personality that threatens Hungary’s sovereignty by carrying out activities aimed at influencing public life” – a definition encompassing news media and civil society organisations. According to the proposal, if the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) determines that a foreign-funded organisation poses such a threat, it can recommend the government add the organisation to a register.
The bill broadly defines threats as activities that “undermine Hungary’s independent, democratic and rule-of-law-based character,” “violate Hungary’s constitutional identity or Christian culture,” or “challenge the primacy of marriage, the family and biological sexes.” Organisations placed on the register would be prohibited from receiving foreign grants, donations, or transfers without prior authorisation from the Hungarian anti-money laundering authority. Banks would be required to monitor and report their financial activity. Additionally, such organisations would lose eligibility for the 1% personal income tax allocation—a vital funding source for many independent media outlets already excluded from state advertising and public funding. Their managers, founders, and potentially editors would be required to file asset declarations, similar to public officials. The anti-money laundering authority would also have retroactive powers to evaluate whether an organisation advanced the agenda of a foreign donor and could order repayment of received funds. The SPO would have authority to search premises and access documents or digital files.
Under the bill, non-compliance could trigger a fine amounting to 25 times the value of the unauthorised funding, payable within 15 days. Repeated offences could lead to asset confiscation and forced closure of the organisation. According to press reports, the measure could affect media outlets reliant on European or international funding.
Government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács said the bill was prompted by concerns over foreign-funded actors influencing Hungary’s political discourse. The proposal follows months of rhetoric from Fidesz and Prime Minister Orbán advocating legislation to defend national sovereignty – also the subject of earlier Platform alerts. The National Association of Hungarian Journalists (MÚOSZ) warned that the bill may conflict with the Fundamental Law’s guarantees of press freedom and pluralism, as well as its requirement to ensure conditions for democratic public discourse. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), supporting its affiliate, strongly condemned the bill as a new attack on the rule of law in Hungary.
Follow-up actions expected: Withdraw the bill.
