300+ NGOs to EU: Stop Hungary’s Authoritarian Turn
23 May 2025 |
An open letter to the European Commission calls for immediate steps to counter Hungary’s dangerous “Transparency of Public Life” bill.
On 13 May 2025, the Hungarian government tabled a new bill titled “Transparency of Public Life” — a deeply misleading name for legislation that poses an existential threat to civil society, media freedom, and democratic governance.
If passed, this law would allow the government to label any organization as a “threat to Hungarian sovereignty” and strip them of both domestic and international funding, due process protections, and the ability to operate legally.
The law’s provisions:
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Expand the powers of the Sovereignty Protection Office to target foreign-funded groups
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Impose unconstitutional restrictions on private donations, even within the EU
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Misuse AML laws to silence dissenters
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Prevent legal redress for affected organizations
In response, more than 300 civil society organizations from across Europe and beyond, including Araminta, Amnesty International, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, and Civil Society Europe, have come together to send an urgent open letter to President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Michael McGrath.
The letter calls for:
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Immediate interim measures via the CJEU
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Launch of a new infringement procedure
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Moving forward on Article 7(1) proceedings against Hungary
This is not just a Hungarian issue. It is a European one. If democracy is silenced in one member state, it weakens the entire Union.
Read the full letter here!
Support our call – Share the letter
Photo: Erik-Holm Langhof Parliament building in the Hungarian capital city of Budapest in the summer of 2016. CC BY-SA 4.0
