The Hungarian funded think-tank MCC Brussels announced the launch of the Democracy Interference Observatory (DIO), a new initiative that aims to uncover, document, and analyze how the European Union and EU-affiliated actors influence national elections across Europe. MCC Brussels is collaborating with other freedom of speech organizations on the DIO project.
The observatory will begin its work with a targeted examination of the Hungarian parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12, 2026, that will serve as the first case study in a broader, scalable observation scope that will extend to other member states.
The launch of the DIO follows a growing body of public evidence showing that modern elections are influenced not only by domestic political actors, but increasingly by networks linking EU institutions, national authorities, digital platforms, and politically active NGOs.
The Democracy Interference Observatory has begun systematically collecting this evidence, which is illustrated by the following three examples:
EU interference in the 2024/25 Romanian elections
Last year, MCC Brussels requested access to European Commission documents on the Digital Services Act (DSA) procedure related to the Romanian presidential election. However, the Commission refused access to these key documents, explaining that the DSA overrides the EU’s own transparency regulation – a decision that was upheld by the EU Ombudsman on December 19, 2025.
However, communications from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, based on internal documents from major digital platforms, reveal extensive coordination between government authorities, technology companies, and external organizations to control and manage online political speech.
These disclosures show that large-scale, institutionalized content regulation influencing democratic debate is already in an operational phase. The U.S. House of Representatives documents are consistent with the MCC Brussels investigations into the DSA procedure applied in the Romanian case.
Activation of EU-funded NGO networks in preparation for the Hungarian elections
EU-funded activist NGOs play a central role in providing content, assessments, and recommendations for EU-level rule of law reports and democracy monitoring practices, including those targeting Hungary.
MCC Brussels recently uncovered Democracy Reporting International’s (DRI) direct involvement in legal proceedings aimed at gaining access to platform data related to the Hungarian elections, raising serious concerns about transparency, conflicts of interest, and political neutrality.
DRI, a so-called non-governmental organization, receives 74% of its funding from governments: 47% from the German Federal Foreign Office, 20% from the EU, and 7% from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Adoption of the narrative of foreign interference by Hungarian actors
As we can see, political developments in Central and Eastern Europe follow a clearly identifiable pattern.
Following the Romanian elections, accusations of large-scale foreign interference were quickly raised to justify extraordinary regulatory measures, increased platform monitoring, and expanded fact-checking operations. The same scenario is now beginning to emerge in Hungary.
MEP Péter Magyar, leader of the main Hungarian opposition, publicly adopted the Romanian example, warning against foreign (specifically Russian) interference and calling for a stronger response at the EU level. On the other hand, his chief of staff, Márton Hajdú, publicly argued in favor of applying the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) in Hungary in order to combat online “disinformation.”
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Via Press Release; Featured photo: Pexels
The post MCC Brussels Launches New Initiative Monitoring EU Influence on Elections appeared first on Hungary Today.
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