Feb. 27—Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka has demanded full disclosure on the funding of NGOs at the meeting of the General Affairs Council on Feb. 25. “We expect the European institutions, especially the Commission, to apply the same standards of transparency to themselves that they expect from member states,” Bóka was quoted as saying by Hungary in the EU (official account of the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the European Union).

Bóka wrote on his own X account the same day: "In recent weeks, it has become clear that NGO networks, previously financed by the USAID and now by the EU Commission are engaging in activities aimed at undermining public trust in institutions and destabilizing political systems.

“EU citizens and member states have the right to know which NGOs and activities the European Commission is financing with European taxpayers’ money.

“The funding of these organisations by the European Commission is still not transparent, and today, at my request, EU ministers addressed this issue at the General Affairs Council.”

“About Hungary”, the official blog of the Hungarian government, wrote: “After the new Trump administration shut off funding to USAID, Brussels has stepped in to fill the financial void, creating new funding pipelines through programs like the Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) program. … The CERV program, initially intended to support fundamental rights, has instead become a tool to bankroll left-liberal activist groups, many of which are directly or indirectly tied to George Soros and his influence network. … This form of influence brokering represents a clear case of political corruption, where taxpayer money is funneled into a network of NGOs that serve as unofficial political operatives for Brussels. In Hungary alone, €13 million has been allocated to activist groups working against the democratically elected government.”

A similar demand is being made for the municipal government of Budapest by the Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.