Hungary - May 2025

On 27 May, Hungary’s Justice Committee approved the ‘On the Transparency of Public Life’ bill, proposed by the ruling Fidesz party. The bill would empower the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) to investigate and blacklist organizations receiving foreign-sourced funds without prior government approval, including EU grants deemed a threat to national sovereignty. Blacklisted groups would face restrictions on donations and be required to prove domestic funding sources. International human rights groups condemned it for threatening civil society, press freedom, and private organizations. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights urged lawmakers to amend or reject the bill, citing violations of legality, necessity, and proportionality principles. The bill sparked mass protests, and though initially expected to pass in mid-June, the vote was postponed until after the summer due to internal party debate.

Sources: Deutsche Welle, Civil Rights Defenders, Politico, France 24, The Guardian, Euronews (1), Europa FM, Index, Reuters, Council of Europe, Euronews (2)

On 20 May, the Parliament passed a bill introduced by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén to formally withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the withdrawal set to take effect on 2 June 2026. Hungary remains legally bound by its obligations under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, until then. This parliamentary decision confirmed the earlier announcement from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s office made in April, coinciding with the state visit of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest, who is presently under an ICC arrest warrant. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó criticized the ICC as being politically motivated, stating that Hungary no longer wishes to be part of it. Once finalized, Hungary will be the only European Union member state outside the ICC. The Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute expressed concern that the decision undermines the rule of law and global efforts to combat impunity.

Sources: Hungarian Official Gazette, International Criminal Court, Magyar Nemzet, Euronews, The Budapest Times, Telex (1), Telex (2), Human Rights Watch