Hungarians take a clear stance: there is no place for foreign interference in politics or the media

The National Assembly has put on its agenda a draft law on transparency in public life, which would allow for the listing of organisations receiving foreign funding and threatening Hungary’s sovereignty. The background to the draft regulation is that, in recent years, certain organisations in Hungary, including some media outlets, have sought to influence Hungarian public life in line with foreign interests through foreign funding, without being subject to the financing restrictions and prohibitions applicable to political parties. In light of these developments, Századvég surveyed Hungarians’ opinions on foreign financial support for media outlets, journalists, and political organisations with the aim of gaining political influence.

People are against politicians and journalists who get paid from abroad

The proposed law says that if a foreign-funded organisation’s activities are aimed at influencing voters and threaten Hungary’s sovereignty, the government will add the organisation to the list on the recommendation of the Sovereignty Protection Office. As a result, such organisations will, among other things, only be able to accept foreign funding with the permission of the anti-money laundering authority, will not be eligible for donations from the 1% of personal income tax, and their senior officers, founders, and members of their supervisory or audit committees will be required to make assets declarations. The research shows that the Hungarian public condemns all forms of foreign attempts to influence politics in Hungary, whether they come from the foreign funding of politicians, media outlets, or journalists. According to the survey,

62% of respondents have a negative opinion of political organisations and activists funded from abroad,

while 24% have a positive opinion of them. Similarly,

57% of Hungarians expressed negative opinions about Hungarian media outlets and journalists funded from abroad,

while 30% expressed positive opinions.

Foreign interference in Hungarian internal affairs is unacceptable

It caused a major storm in international public discourse when Donald Trump shut down a significant portion of USAID projects after taking office, as the Biden administration had used them to promote its left-wing political agenda around the world. The significance of this issue in public life is demonstrated by the fact

that nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents had heard that the recently departed left-wing US administration led by Joe Biden had used USAID funds to finance journalists, media outlets, and political organisations in Europe and Hungary, among other places, with the aim of gaining political influence.

It is important to stress that, between 2022 and February 2025, USAID allocated 3.5 billion forints, while the European Commission allocated around 19.5 billion forints from its own programmes to political pressure groups operating in Hungary. The Hungarian public clearly condemns this funding practice. The survey highlights that

two-thirds of Hungarians (66%) agree with the statement that a foreign country or political organisation has no right to pay Hungarian journalists and media outlets to produce videos and articles about the current Hungarian government, attacking its goals and discrediting it, thereby influencing public opinion, as this constitutes interference in the internal affairs of an independent country.

Majority in favour of transparency on foreign funding

The proposed law on transparency in public life also aims to respond to the challenge that, with the withdrawal of USAID funds, the European Union appears set to take over the financing of the organisations, journalists and media outlets in question, including those promoting pro-war and pro-Ukrainian political positions that are demonstrably contrary to Hungarian interests. For one thing, the EU support programmes mentioned earlier will run until the end of the 2021–2027 EU budget cycle, so more funds are likely to come from the European Commission to influence Hungarian politics. Furthermore, Daniel Freund, a German MEP from the Greens, openly stated in February 2025 that, with the termination of USAID projects, the EU would have a “duty to fill the funding gap” for programmes targeting Hungary. Research data show that the public has clear expectations regarding the transparency of foreign funding. Accordingly,

more than three-quarters (77%) of respondents would support an investigation into how US Agency for International Development (USAID) and European Union financial assistance was spent.