Hungary proposes law to blacklist foreign-funded NGOs, media

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party submitted on Tuesday, 13 May a bill that would allow the government to monitor, penalise and potentially ban organisations receiving foreign funding and categorised as threats to national sovereignty.

The draft law would expand the powers of the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO), which was established in 2023, and has raised renewed concerns among Hungarian civil society and international observers alike over the erosion of Hungary’s democratic standards.

According to the bill, the proposed legislation would allow the SPO to investigate any organisations deemed to be undermining Hungary’s constitutional identity or Christian values. Targeted organisations could face inspections, fines of up to 25 times foreign funding received, restrictions on fundraising and loss of tax breaks.

NGOs, media outlets, issue joint statement

More than 60 Hungarian media outlets, think tanks, and human rights organisations have condemned the bill. Among them are Amnesty International Hungary, Transparency International Hungary, and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, who signed a joint statement warning against the law.

The statement described the bill as “an authoritarian attempt to cling to power”, adding that its aim is to “silence all critical voices and dismantle what remains of Hungarian democracy”.

The bill’s introduction follows Orban’s speech on 15 March, when he promised a “spring cleaning” of what he described as foreign-funded judges, journalists and NGOs, and ahead of elections next spring, with Orban’s Fidesz trailing newcomer Peter Magyar’s Tisza in the polls.

Human rights organisations and media freedom advocates have compared the proposal to Russia’s “foreign agent” law, as it could be used to force the closure of independent media and civil society groups. The European Commission has previously raised concerns over similar laws in Hungary, saying they undermine democratic norms.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs defended the bill, describing it as a necessary step to protect Hungary’s sovereignty, and cited actions taken by other countries to limit foreign influence.