Overview

• Hungary’s Fidesz party has introduced a bill granting the Sovereignty Protection Office sweeping powers to blacklist and penalize foreign-funded NGOs and media organizations.
• The proposed legislation would require organizations to declare all foreign donations, pre-approve funding through an anti-money laundering body, and comply with intrusive inspections.
• Critics, including Human Rights Watch and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, warn the bill mirrors Russia’s foreign agent law and could effectively silence independent voices in Hungary.
• Over 90 European media leaders and 26 EU lawmakers have urged the European Union to freeze funding to Hungary and take legal action to defend press freedom and democratic norms.
• Mass protests erupted in Budapest, and a decisive parliamentary vote is expected in mid-June, with EU institutions signaling potential infringement proceedings if the bill passes.