The following is the English translation of a press release kindly provided to us by MCC Brussels.
MCC Brussels is announcing the launch of the Democracy Interference Observatory (DIO), a new initiative dedicated to uncovering, documenting, and analysing how the European Union and EU-affiliated actors influence national elections across Europe. MCC Brussels is collaborating with other free speech organizations on the DIO project.
The Observatory will begin its work with a focused examination of the Hungarian parliamentary elections scheduled for 12 April 2026. This will serve as the first case study in a broader, scalable observation framework that will later extend to other EU Member States.
The launch of the DIO comes amidst a growing body of publicly available evidence indicating that modern elections are shaped not only by domestic political actors, but increasingly by interconnected networks involving EU institutions, national authorities, digital platforms, and politically active NGOs.
The Democracy Interference Observatory has already begun systematically collecting this evidence, illustrated by the following examples:
1. EU Interference in the 2024–25 Romanian Elections
In 2025, MCC Brussels requested access to European Commission documents related to the application of the Digital Services Act (DSA) in connection with that year’s Romanian presidential election. The Commission denied access to these documents, arguing that the DSA overrides the EU’s own transparency regulation. This decision was upheld by the EU Ombudsman on 19 December 2025.
However, communications from the US House of Representatives 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 demonstrate that large-scale, institutionalized content regulation affecting democratic debate is already operational. The US congressional documents are consistent with MCC Brussels’ own findings regarding the application of the DSA in the Romanian case.
2. Activation of EU-Funded NGO Networks Ahead of the Hungarian Elections
EU-funded activist NGOs play a central role in producing content, assessments, and recommendations for EU-level rule of law reports and democracy-monitoring mechanisms, 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 per cent of its funding from governments: 47 per cent from the German Federal Foreign Office, 20 per cent from the EU, and 7 per cent from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3. Adoption of the ‘Foreign Interference’ Narrative by Hungarian Political Actors
Political developments in Central and Eastern Europe increasingly follow a clear and recurring pattern.
In the aftermath of the Romanian elections, allegations of large-scale foreign interference were rapidly deployed to justify extraordinary regulatory measures, intensified platform monitoring, and expanded fact-checking operations. A similar scenario is now beginning to unfold in Hungary.
Péter Magyar, leader of the Hungarian opposition, has publicly adopted the Romanian framework, warning of foreign—specifically Russian—interference and calling for a stronger EU-level response. At the same time, his Chief of Staff Márton Hajdú has publicly advocated the application of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) in Hungary to combat ‘online disinformation’.
A Deployable System of Election Intervention
In summary, these developments point to a system that can be activated at any time:
- An intervention narrative is constructed.
- EU regulatory pressure and enforcement actions targeting platforms are initiated.
- NGO-led monitoring and fact-checking networks are expanded.
- The election information environment is reshaped.
The DIO will systematically monitor four core areas: the information environment and EU digital governance tools; EU-linked funding ecosystems; institutional pressure and conditionality mechanisms; and the narratives used to justify exceptional countermeasures.
Given the clear evidence of coordinated strategic action involving the European Commission, EU-funded NGOs, and national regulators, the DIO will soon publish a detailed report outlining the emerging ‘interference playbook’, drawing on the recent European Parliament elections and other documented cases.
‘The Democracy Interference Observatory aims to make these mechanisms visible,’ Director General of MCC Brussels Frank Füredi said. ‘Elections should be decided by voters—not shaped by regulatory pressure, financial influence, and behind-the-scenes information control. Transparency and freedom of speech are the strongest safeguards of democratic self-government.’
The DIO will publish its findings through public briefings, investigative reports, and source-based documentation, making its work accessible to journalists, researchers, policymakers, and citizens.
The mission of the Democracy Interference Observatory is fundamentally democratic: to defend electoral self-determination, democratic accountability, and freedom of expression across Europe. Organizations that share these principles are invited to contact DIO and MCC Brussels at contact@democracy-interference.info.
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