The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomed the announcement on 4 June 2025 of the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz to postpone the vote on the draft law on foreign-funded organisations until the autumn. The decision came a day after the EFJ General Meeting in Budapest, which took place on 2-3 June in the presence of Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony and OSCE High Representative on Freedom of the Media Jan Braathu. The EFJ continues to demand the withdrawal of this bill without further delay.
Due to be passed in mid-June, the bill, entitled ‘Transparency in Public Life’, gives the government the legal powers it needs to silence the last independent voices in Hungary, by preventing organisations from receiving subsidies or donations from abroad and imposing heavy fines on them if they do not comply with the rules in force.
Independent media would inevitably be targeted by this legislation, sounding the death knell after years of policy aimed at muzzling the independent press and distorting the market in favour of pro-government discourse, particularly through the media controlled by the KESMA Foundation.
The repressive nature of the draft law, which would become the first foreign agent-style law in the European Union, was denounced by the EFJ GM in a resolution adopted on 3 June 2025.
However, on 4 June, Fidesz parliamentary leader Mâté Kocsis announced that the vote on the law would be postponed until autumn, citing that the government had received “several suggestions” regarding the law.
“Although the postponement of the authoritarian and discriminatory bill is an encouraging development, the relief is likely to be short-lived. Independent media outlets are still at extreme risk as the draft is still on the table and open to suggestions that could be even more aggressive towards critical voices. The EFJ and its Hungarian affiliates are urging Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party to unequivocally and permanently withdraw this draconian legislation. We also urge the European Commission to put pressure on the Orbán government to counter this new assault on press freedom. As we stated at the EFJ General Meeting, the EU has failed for too long to prevent the government’s efforts to suppress media freedom and pluralism. Now is the time to join forces and ensure that the bill is withdrawn,” declared EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez.
During his visit to Hungary, Jan Braathu, the OSCE High Representative on Freedom of the Media, met with Hungarian authorities and urged them to revise the bill. Reacting to the announcement, he declared today his readiness to support a review of the draft in line with international media freedom standards.
The EFJ will continue to monitor developments closely and to advocate in Brussels for the withdrawal of this bill, which constitutes the most serious threat to independent media in Hungary.
Discussion about this post