EESC President and Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law Group express deep concern about Hungary’s Proposed Bill “On Transparency in the Public Sphere”

The President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and its Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law express deep concern over the recently introduced Hungarian draft law titled “On Transparency in the Public Sphere.” It is our understanding that this bill poses a significant threat to the operations of civil society organisations and independent media in Hungary.

The bill seeks to curtail the activities of organisations receiving funding from abroad by labeling them as threats to national sovereignty. It would grant the newly established Sovereignty Protection Office sweeping powers to investigate and blacklist such organisations, exposing them to restrictive measures and excessive financial penalties.

Of particular concern is the bill’s extraordinarily broad definition of foreign influence, under which all foreign funding — including transparent EU grants and support from other member states — may be treated as a sovereignty risk. Organisations targeted under the proposed bill would be barred from receiving personal income tax donations, which are a vital source of public support in Hungary. They would also be forced to collect written declarations from each donor confirming the domestic origin of contributions, placing a severe administrative burden on civic actors.

In cases where any foreign support is detected, even inadvertently, the proposed bill foresees punitive fines of up to 25 times the amount received, to be paid within 15 days. These measures evoke practices seen in authoritarian regimes and are wholly incompatible with the foundational values of the European Union, including the rights to freedom of association and expression.

In response, the EESC President and the EESC Group on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law call for the Hungarian authorities to engage in an open and inclusive dialogue with civil society, independent media, and legal experts, so that the proposed bill is withdrawn and that any legislative reform respects democratic principles. They also call on EU institutions to monitor the situation closely and take decisive action to ensure that EU law and values are upheld.

The EESC reaffirms its full solidarity with Hungary’s civil society, independent press, stressing that a free and vibrant civic space is indispensable to any democratic society.