Key points
- With the critical juncture of the 2026 general elections, the Hungarian government has intensified repressive measures targeting independent opposition voices.
- The May 2025 ‘transparency of public life’ bill’s broad scope would enable state sanctioning of any foreign-financed entity, potentially reaching beyond political and civic space actors into the private market.
- This ‘blacklisting bill’ represents a qualitative shift toward autocracy, indicative of increased regime instability commonly observed around election cycles in autocratic states.
- Current empirical research does not support fears that strong EU enforcement will provoke short-term domestic backlash against the European Union.
- Immediate action is necessary to establish legal manoeuvring space for any future democratic government in Hungary.
Full info
ARENA Policy Brief 2/2025 (pdf)
Safeguarding EU values in Hungary: Navigating next steps amid increasing repression
June 2025