Latest news with #CERV
Budapest Times
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
The NGO that cried fraud
Dániel Hegedüs's latest essay for the German Marshall Fund marks a dramatic escalation. For years, their narrative was that Hungary's elections were 'unfair.' Now, without evidence, he suggests that the 2026 election might be stolen outright—with fabricated results and a rigged outcome. This isn't analysis. It's a premeditated excuse for failure. In 2022, Hungary held its elections under full international scrutiny. A complete OSCE-ODIHR mission monitored the vote. Nearly 20,000 independent ballot counters were deployed. The process was transparent. The result was clear. And not even the most critical observers could dispute it. Everything was done by the book. So why float this now? Because the 2022 election delivered a result that foreign-funded NGOs, Brussels ideologues, and Washington-aligned networks could not accept. Despite media pressure, activist campaigning, and billions of forints in foreign financial support for the opposition, the Hungarian electorate stood firm. Their attempt failed. The State Audit Office later confirmed that the opposition campaign was illegally financed through a foreign network, including U.S.-linked NGOs. It was the largest financing scandal in Hungary's democratic history—not an allegation, but a documented fact. Since then, the funding streams have shifted—but not the agenda. With U.S. money drying up, Brussels has stepped in. The European Commission's CERV program is now the main vehicle for influence. According to the European Court of Auditors, more than €7 billion in NGO contracts were awarded across the EU between 2021 and 2023. Forty percent of that went to just 30 groups. These aren't neutral actors—they're politically engaged organizations, many active in Hungary. These groups don't represent civil society. They represent Brussels. They push ideological campaigns, file lawsuits against elected governments, and lobby against national sovereignty—funded almost entirely by EU taxpayers. And they do so without real accountability. Even the Court of Auditors found it's nearly impossible to trace how much these groups receive or what they're paid to do. Hungary's formal information requests were brushed aside with bureaucratic excuses. In any national government, that level of opacity would be a scandal. In Brussels, it's standard. The same people who couldn't win in 2022 now want to pre-write the narrative for 2026. Demanding 'robust international observation' is not about fairness. It's a pretext. If the result isn't what they want, the accusation of fraud is already waiting. Ironically, that is what truly undermines trust in democratic institutions. The Sovereignty Protection Law targets foreign political financing—not election observers. Hungary has never blocked international missions, and it won't start now. Hungary's future will be decided by its voters—not by foreign-funded NGOs or Brussels insiders. Every Hungarian election since 2010 has been called the 'last chance for democracy'—yet voters continue to let their voices be heard, and democratic institutions continue to function. The real threat isn't inside Hungary. It's the unaccountable network trying to discredit the next vote before it even happens.
Budapest Times
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
23 billion reasons to pay attention: The foreign network funding political pressure in Hungary
The Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) has confirmed that foreign-funded political pressure operations in Hungary received at least HUF 23 billion in support between 2022 and February 2025. According to the Office's latest statement, this extensive financing came from American government agencies and the European Union, with a single objective: to reshape Hungary's political landscape from the outside. This is not speculation. It is the result of a year-long investigation that revealed the mechanisms, actors, and networks involved. The Office's findings show that the foreign pressure network operating in Hungary is not independent, nor is it benign. It is organized, coordinated, and financially sustained by international power centers closely aligned with the ideological agenda of the American Democratic Party and its European affiliates. The statement identifies a complex financial ecosystem built on three pillars. First, American governmental sources such as USAID, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the U.S. State Department. Second, direct funding from the European Commission, including programs like CERV, LIFE, and JUST. And third, global foundations with deep political roots, including the Open Society Foundations, Rockefeller Foundation, and German Marshall Fund. USAID alone sent HUF 3.5 billion to political pressure groups active in Hungary between 2022 and 2024. The European Commission, through its own programs, had allocated HUF 19.5 billion as of February 2025. With several of these EU frameworks running through 2027, the SPO expects even more funds to be distributed in the coming years. This isn't just a question of financial scale—it's about the systemic nature of the interference. The SPO highlights how these funds are used to support organizations that openly campaign against Hungary's elected government and attempt to influence public opinion and electoral outcomes. These groups are not pursuing civil society development; they are implementing political agendas dictated from abroad. The Office also warns that the HUF 23 billion figure is a conservative estimate. Additional financing flows from non-EU foreign governments, private companies, and international NGOs remain under investigation. The true budget of the foreign network in Hungary is likely to be significantly higher. These revelations come at a critical time. With new disclosures from the current U.S. administration and fresh data from ongoing EU tenders, the SPO is continuing to monitor developments closely. The evidence so far confirms the need for constant vigilance and decisive action to defend Hungary's sovereignty. In its statement, the Office reiterates its mission: to uncover and expose foreign influence operations that threaten Hungary's democratic independence. The Hungarian people have the right to choose their future without manipulation or interference. Foreign-funded political activism—no matter how it is disguised—has no place in a sovereign nation.
Budapest Times
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
What they do in the shadows part III – How Brussels hijacked CERV for political gains
The Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) program was originally introduced as a means of supporting democratic participation and fundamental rights across Europe. However, rather than serving as a neutral tool for strengthening civil society, it has become a financial weapon wielded by Brussels to push a specific political agenda. In recent years, the European Commission has restructured CERV funding to disproportionately benefit left-liberal NGOs, many of which are directly or indirectly tied to George Soros and his network. The changes to CERV's funding mechanisms were designed to circumvent national oversight. Conservative governments that refuse to align with Brussels' ideological direction have no say in how this money is distributed, even though their taxpayers contribute to it. Instead of allowing civil society organizations from all backgrounds to apply for support, CERV now overwhelmingly favors groups that promote mass migration, LGBTQ activism, and deeper EU integration—policies that many European citizens oppose. The EU has effectively cut out national decision-makers from the process, ensuring that the money flows only to organizations that reinforce Brussels' political objectives. Nowhere is this clearer than in Hungary, where millions of euros have been funneled to activist groups working against the country's elected government — €13 million in the last two years, to be precise. Despite repeated democratic mandates rejecting Brussels' progressive policies, these organizations continue to receive EU funding to lobby against Hungarian sovereignty and pressure international institutions to sanction the country. In essence, the Hungarian people are forced to finance their own opposition, while their government is portrayed as 'anti-democratic' for resisting this manipulation. Brussels has also weaponized CERV to control public discourse and suppress dissent. Under the pretense of 'protecting democracy' and 'fact-checking,' EU-funded organizations shape narratives, censor conservative voices, and discredit any opposition to their preferred policies. What was supposed to be a civil society support program has instead become a massive EU-funded propaganda network, one that ensures Brussels' political allies remain dominant in the European debate while silencing alternative viewpoints. This is no accident—it is by design. The EU's elite have transformed CERV into a self-reinforcing system: Brussels funds left-wing NGOs, which then produce reports, advocacy campaigns, and media content promoting the EU's agenda. These reports are then cited by the EU itself as justification for further political action, be it withholding funds from member states or fining them for defending the EU's shared borders. This closed-loop system guarantees that the EU's preferred ideological narratives dominate, while opponents are branded as extremists and denied access to the same financial resources.
Budapest Times
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Hungary's suspicions confirmed: USAID's influence network exposed
For years, Hungary has warned that USAID is not merely a development agency but a tool of U.S. political influence. Now, a new report from the Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) has confirmed these long-held suspicions, detailing how USAID operates a vast network designed to shape political narratives, fund ideological allies, and pressure governments that do not conform to Washington's globalist agenda. Since its founding in 1961, USAID has been deeply embedded in America's foreign policy strategy, working alongside the State Department, intelligence agencies, and major private foundations. The report explicitly states that 'USAID has become part of the machinery that implements the U.S. national security strategy,' describing how the agency uses 'covert and overt pressure through payments disguised as aid and grants.' The network it has built 'operates by taking over the civil, economic, political, and media sectors in each country,' allowing foreign interests to exert influence under the pretense of development assistance. Hungary has been directly affected by this pressure network. Between 2020 and 2024, USAID funneled at least $20.2 million (HUF 8 billion) into Hungarian organizations, though the true amount, including indirect support, is likely far higher. These funds do not merely support neutral civil society efforts but are strategically directed toward groups aligned with 'progressive globalist interests,' including mass migration advocacy, LGBTQ activism, and open society initiatives. To ensure the ideological alignment of its network, USAID works closely with private foundations such as the Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations, which have used their resources to build a 'geopolitical pyramid scheme' of influence. These groups, alongside global organizations like the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, distribute funds in a way that 'limits the range of organizations that can be involved,' ensuring that only those aligned with their ideological goals receive support. The report also exposes how USAID conceals its true objectives through a complex funding web. In Hungary, organizations such as the Autonomy Foundation, the Ökotárs Foundation, and the Carpathian Foundation act as intermediaries, redistributing funds to 'conceal the origin and the true extent of the resources used' for political influence. This ensures that USAID's political objectives remain intact while shielding the agency from direct accountability. Beyond Hungary, the report highlights how USAID's model has been replicated at the European level. Since 2017, Brussels bureaucrats on the payroll of U.S. billionaire George Soros' have worked to 'take control of the European legislature, including the European Commission itself.' By 2021, EU funding programs—such as the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) initiative—had been redesigned to ensure continued support for politically aligned pressure groups across Europe, effectively making Brussels a new hub for these influence operations. Hungary has long maintained that its sovereignty must be protected from external manipulation. The latest findings confirm that these concerns were justified. The Sovereignty Protection Office has vowed to 'continue investigating the extent of this U.S.-funded network's operations in Hungary,' assessing how foreign resources are being used to manipulate political narratives and exert pressure on national decision-making. As foreign funding mechanisms shift from Washington to Brussels, Hungary remains committed to ensuring that national decisions are made by Hungarians, free from external interference. The report serves as yet another warning that political influence operations disguised as civil society support are a reality—one that Hungary is determined to confront.
