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Five senior MEPs responsible for monitoring rule-of-law concerns in Hungary urged the European Commission on Thursday to take “concrete steps” over what they describe as severe threats to the integrity of the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday.
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In a letter addressed to Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath, the lawmakers raise “serious doubts” about whether the election “can take place in a genuinely free and fair electoral environment.”
They call on the Commission to “publicly assess” whether “the conditions for free and fair democratic competition in Hungary are being undermined by disinformation, foreign interference, state-resources misuse” as well as “intimidation of journalists.”
In backing their call for action, they emphasize “a potential Russian interference operation in Hungary” as a covert support of the electoral campaign of the ruling Fidesz party, citing investigative reporting about an operation on behalf of Russia’s military intelligence service.
The letter —signed by Green MEP Tineke Strik and the European People’s Party Michał Wawrykiewicz, among others— comes in the wake of several cases of election-related disinformation in Hungary over the past weeks. A network linked to pro-Kremlin actors impersonated major media outlets to spread false claims about Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar.
Hungary’s close ties with Moscow have become more evident, as new leaked calls show the country’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó briefing his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov during a key EU summit.
The letter also highlights the role of Szabolcs Panyi, the investigative journalist who exposed the alleged connection and was subsequently targeted in a state-led intimidation “of unprecedented severity.”
“The Hungarian government filed criminal charges against him for alleged espionage, accompanied by a public campaign portraying him as a threat to the nation”, the MEPs wrote.
Another concern raised by the letter involves attempts to hack the opposition party Tisza’s IT systems — allegations that have been denounced by Magyar.
Strik and Wawrykiewicz serve as rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs, respectively, of the EU’s Article 7 procedure against Hungary, a process that could ultimately suspend Budapest’s voting rights in the EU for serious breaches of the rule of law.
The other signatories involved in the procedure include Polish Socialist MEP Krzysztof Śmiszek, Belgian Liberal MEP Sophie Wilmès, and Greek MEP Konstantinos Arvanitis of The Left party.
Beyond calling for a public assessment of Hungary’s election integrity, the MEPs urge the Commission to pursue — and, where necessary, expand — infringement actions against Hungary for violations of EU law on media freedom.
