Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in a recent speech, compared critics including journalists to insects that will be eliminated. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins its affiliates in Hungary, HPU and MÚOSZ, in demanding an apology from Mr Orbán in the context of a new crackdown on journalists and journalism. On 15 March, during a political rally in Budapest, the Prime Minister accused journalists of serving the interests of foreign powers and compared them and other groups to insects who would soon be eradicated. He told several thousand supporters that in the coming weeks the government would “dismantle the financial machine…

Together with a coalition of 19 organisations, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) urged the European Commission to remain firm and use all the political and legal tools to stop the dismantling of the rule of law, democracy and media freedom by the Hungarian authorities. The signatories of a joint letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, expressed their full support to Vice-President Věra Jourová following attacks by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government. “For…

Hungary’s most renowned investigative journalist, Szabolcs Panyi, faces politically motivated espionage charges after revealing Russian interference in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s election campaign. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined the undersigned organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in standing in solidarity with Szabolcs Panyi and denouncing another dangerous step toward Orbán’s authoritarian rule in the run-up to the April 12 elections. On 26 March 2026, the Hungarian government said it intended to file a criminal complaint against Panyi, a journalist for VSquare and Direkt36, accusing him of spying for Ukraine. The espionage accusations surfaced just as the…

Radio station Lánchíd Rádió as well as Hungarian opposition daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet have shut down on 10 and 11 April 2018. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) is appalled by the latest developments following Orbán’s electoral win, which further narrows media pluralism in Hungary. The Hungarian opposition daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet and its online version were forced to close yesterday due to financial reasons. A sudden increase in rent of the publishing buildings, whose owners are reported to be close to the newly re-elected Hungarian Prime minister Viktor Orbán, led it to cease its media production.  The Hungarian radio station Lánchíd Rádió…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) commends the role of independent media in covering the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election, against a backdrop of the outgoing government’s takeover of the media. We call on Péter Magyar, who is is expected to become the next Prime Minister, to consult without delay with our affiliates in Hungary, MUOSZ and HPU, academics and civil society, in order to initiate the reforms necessary to guarantee media pluralism and independence in Hungary, in accordance with European legal standards, in particular the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The Hungarian media landscape is characterised by the widespread takeover…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes 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…

European journalists’ organisations meeting in Budapest (Hungary) on 2-3 June 2025, on the occasion of the EFJ General Meeting (GM), denounced the ongoing crackdown by the Hungarian government on independent media, journalists and LGBTIQ people with the adoption of two resolutions. Co-organised by the EFJ Hungarian affiliates HPU and MUOSZ, the GM took place in a context of unprecedented repression against fundamental values and freedom, as the Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented a draft of a new foreign funding bill, on 13 May. If passed, this legislation would effectively represent the first foreign agent-style law in the…

On 13 May, the Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán presented a draft of a new foreign funding bill which represents the most serious attack on Hungarian media in years and is the latest step in a more than decade-long campaign by the government to stigmatise independent journalism, undermine its business model and systematically erode media pluralism. If passed, this legislation would effectively represent the first foreign agent-style law in the European Union, marking another milestone in Hungary’s democratic decline and deepening the crackdown in what has long been the EU’s worst country for media freedom. Hungary has already…

A newly introduced bill which would allow for the blacklisting, financial restriction and potential closure of media outlets and civil society organisations receiving foreign funds poses a severe threat to independent journalism and press freedom and should be immediately challenged under EU law, the undersigned partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) said today. Draft legislation submitted on May 13 by the Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán represents the most serious attack on Hungarian media in years and is the latest step in a more than decade-long campaign by the government to stigmatise independent journalism, undermine its…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), which will hold its General Meeting in Budapest on 2-3 June, strongly condemns, together with its Hungarian affiliates MÚOSZ and HPU, the bill tabled on Tuesday by the ruling party in Hungary to crack down on independent media and NGOs that receive funding from abroad. The EFJ calls on the European Union to sanction this new attack on the rule of law in Hungary. On Tuesday 13 May, shortlly before midnight, János Halász, a Member of Parliament from Fidesz, the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, tabled a bill in Parliament aimed at…

A joint investigation by Hungarian, French and Portuguese media published last week revealed a direct link between entities close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and company Alpac Capital, a Portuguese investment fund, which acquired Euronews TV channel in 2022. The takeover was approved by the French government as Euronews, previously headquartered in Lyon, was a company incorporated under French law. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) back the call of their French affiliate, the National Union of Journalists (SNJ), for the opening of a parliamentary inquiry aimed at shedding light on the origins of the funds used…

This op-ed was published on the Social Europe website. By Oliver Roethig and Ricardo Gutiérrez The aspiration for a quality news platform that draws Europe together is being suffocated. In the wake of the takeover last year of Euronews, an editorial overhaul and mass layoffs are being pressed by its new owner. In 1993, Euronews was created by national public broadcasters as a European response to the ‘CNN effect’—how news channels were increasingly shaping public and political opinion. A broadcaster with a public mission at its heart was the vision, the choice to construct a freely-accessible, multilingual European alternative, in the hands of the public,…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its partner organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) today in expressing serious concern over the decision by the Fidesz-controlled Media Council – the country’s powerful media regulator – to block the frequency license renewal of the symbolic independent station Tilos Rádió. Our organisations are concerned that this decision appears to be yet another disproportionate move by the Media Council, whose members were all nominated and appointed solely by the ruling party, which will force another independent voice off the country’s airwaves and further weaken media pluralism. We note the Media Council’s…

The Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) is highly alarmed by the revelations by a consortium led by French NGO Forbidden Stories about the surveillance of journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and others through the Pegasus spyware program developed by Israeli company NSO Group. The leak, which revealed the involvement of the Hungarian government among others, raises significant implications for journalists’ security and the protection of their sources as well as raising concerns through the chilling effect such applications have on journalists beyond those immediately affected and ultimately, on everyone’s right to information. We call on the Hungarian government and other…

The Slovenian government of Prime Minister Janez Janša is overseeing an increasingly systematic effort to undermine critical media, a coalition of press freedom organisations and journalism groups warn today in a new report. The report concludes that Slovenia, which assumes the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1, has seen press freedom deteriorate ever since Janša returned to power in March 2020. Since then, the ruling SDS party has embarked on a multipronged campaign to reshape the media landscape in favour of a pro-government narrative, renewing tactics successful during previous administrations and forging ahead with new forms of pressure.…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined partners of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) in expressing serious concern over today’s decision (04.02.2021) by a court in Budapest to reject the temporary license extension to Klubrádió in Hungary, warning it will have far-reaching implications for what remains of media pluralism and independent journalism in the country. The MFRR stresses that this decision effectively consigns Klubrádió to broadcasting exclusively on the internet and represents a significant win for the ruling Fidesz party and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in their decade-long campaign to destroy one of the last remaining independent broadcasters which…