19/05/2025 Monitoring
Eerik-Niiles Kross (Estonia, ALDE) and George Papandreou (Greece, SOC), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Hungary, have made the following statement today concerning the draft law in Hungary on “transparency in public life”:
“As proposed, the bill would make it impossible for civil society organisations and independent media outlets to operate, let alone exist. It constitutes an unjustified and disproportionate attack on the freedom of association and expression of Hungarian citizens. Adopting this bill would violate Hungary's international obligations with regard to human rights and fundamental freedoms.
It would give the government the power to impose constraints on associations or media companies on ill-defined and vague grounds that could force them into bankruptcy or closure, and it does not provide sufficient safeguards against arbitrary use. The comparison made with the US Foreign Agents Registration Act is not legally valid. As emphasised by the Reykjavik Principles for Democracy, the Hungarian government, as a member of the Council of Europe, is obliged to ensure the right to freedom of expression and the right to receive and impart information. Free, independent and pluralist media and civil society are cornerstones of a democratic society.
A bill with such potentially serious consequences cannot be adopted without a comprehensive prior assessment based on an inclusive consultation process. We therefore call on the Hungarian Parliament to suspend consideration of this bill and commit itself to an inclusive and comprehensive review including by requesting a Venice Commission opinion on the draft law.”
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Hungary is currently one of ten Council of Europe member states subject to the Assembly’s full monitoring procedure, which involves regular visits by a pair of rapporteurs, who conduct an ongoing dialogue with authorities, and occasional plenary debates to ensure that progress and problems with the honouring of Council of Europe obligations and commitments are assessed.