Large trucks equipped with biometric cameras were stationed around last year’s Budapest Pride march to discourage participation. The objective was not only punishment, but deterrence. Despite the new government, this logic remains embedded in Hungarian law today.
Google has announced its withdrawal from political advertising in the EU. This decision slipped under the radar due to the turmoil of the US election and the EU’s struggle to form a new Commission. It will limit people’s fundamental rights in these three significant ways.
The sale of Euronews to investors linked to Viktor Orbán and Robert Fico’s move to bring Slovakia’s public media under public control offer a clear warning that new legislative action from Brussels will not be enough on its own to reshape Europe’s media landscape.