The European Commission has launched legal action against Hungary for systematic violations of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), a move welcomed by the
International Press Institute (IPI) as a crucial step in safeguarding press freedom across the EU.
On 11 December, the EU executive announced an infringement procedure against Hungary, citing failures to comply with key provisions of the EMFA. These include ensuring non-interference in journalistic work, preventing economic pressure on media outlets, and protecting sources and digital communications.
The Commission also flagged shortcomings in Hungary’s public service media, media ownership transparency, assessment of media market concentrations, allocation of state advertising, and independent media regulation.
“These findings mirror the conclusions of a recent IPI and Media and Journalism Research Center report, which detailed Hungary’s systematic media capture and its failure to implement the EMFA in 2025,” IPI said in a statement. The report described Hungary as “the EU Member State with the most sophisticated model of media capture ever developed within the bloc.”
Rather than align with EMFA requirements, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government has dismissed the law as a tool of foreign interference and challenged aspects of it before the European Court of Justice.
IPI hailed the Commission’s move as an “important use of its new regulatory toolbox” to uphold media freedom, independence, and pluralism in the EU’s internal market. The infringement proceedings are expected to serve as a key test of the EMFA’s strength, though legal experts caution that the process may be lengthy, potentially delaying tangible impact.
Earlier this month, IPI and Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners wrote to the European Board for Media Services—established under the EMFA—raising concerns about the acquisition of Hungary’s most-read tabloid by a pro-government media group. They urged the board to assess the merger’s impact on media pluralism.
IPI has pledged to monitor both proceedings closely and continue advocating for a free and independent media ecosystem in Hungary.
In November, IPI joined international media freedom organizations on a fact-finding visit to Budapest, which reported “a deep crisis” for press freedom ahead of Hungary’s 2026 elections, amid political harassment and the targeting of journalists.
At IPI’s recent World Congress, Hungary’s independent media were recognized with the 2025 IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award for their resilience and innovation under sustained political and economic pressure. Photo by Thomas Depenbusch (Depi) from Cologne, Germany, Wikimedia commons.