- The proposed “Transparency in Public Life” bill in Hungary would have a severe impact on media freedom.
- The bill would leave independent fact checkers and other civil society organisations in significant financial difficulties.
- The operations of Lakmusz – an EFCSN member in Hungary and one of the few fact-checking operations in the country- would be badly affected by the proposed law if it was implemented.
- The EFCSN calls on the EU institutions and all EU Member States to use all legal means to ensure the law is not adopted or its effects are neutralised.
29 May 2025 – The proposed “Transparency in Public Life” law threatens freedom of speech and information integrity in Hungary. If passed, it would have dire consequences for EFCSN Hungarian member Lakmusz. The EFCSN calls on the EU institutions and EU Member States to use all available legal means to ensure that the law is not adopted, or in the case of its adoption, to reduce its impact on independent media.
The proposed law would allow the Hungarian government to create a list of organisations which receive funding from abroad that it deems threaten Hungarian sovereignty, monitor their bank accounts, investigate their foreign transactions and ultimately block their access to foreign funds. This type of legislation closely mirrors the ‘foreign agent’ law such as Georgia. It would, in effect, suffocate the financial stability of independent media outlets and other non profits who receive funding from abroad and severely threaten their operations.
In this form, the proposed law may infringe on European law. In addition, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 2020 that an earlier version of the Transparency Law violated EU law. The EU Commission also filed an infringement procedure against the similar, smaller scale 2023 law on protection of sovereignty.
Our member Lakmusz would suffer significant financial instability if the law were to pass. Although their parent organisation is committed to the important work of independent fact-checking, operations would be severely hampered. We stand behind our member in this difficult time as Lakmusz has a proven track record of adhering to the highest standards of transparency, journalistic integrity and independence outlined in the EFCSN Code of Standards.
The draft law was submitted to the Hungarian parliament on 13 May, and is set for voting on by MPs in the first half of June. Now is the time for European decision-makers to stand against this proposed law.
The European Commission has the possibility to seek an interim measure before the Court of Justice of the EU to suspend the law if it is passed. The EFCSN calls on the European Commission to seek ways to further support Hungarian independent media and civil society.
Read Lakmusz’s statement about the proposed bill on their LinkedIn.
About Lakmusz
Lakmusz is an independent fact-checking organisation based in Budapest, Hungary. They are part of the parent organisation Magyar Jeti Zrt. Lakmusz has been an EFCSN member since 2023.
About the EFCSN
The European Fact-Checking Standards Network is an association of fact-checking organizations who commit to the standards of independence, transparency, and journalistic quality outlined in the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations. With over 60 verified members across Europe, the EFCSN is the voice of European fact-checkers.
