Orban’s Slow Coup: How Hungary Is Hollowing Out Democracy From Inside the EU
While European leaders unite to defend democracy at Ukraine’s borders, an authoritarian erosion is quietly unfolding within. Hungary—an EU member and NATO ally—is no longer drifting from democratic norms. It is actively dismantling them, piece by piece, using the language of sovereignty and national identity to justify creeping repression.
A New Kind of State Power
In early 2024, Hungary unveiled its latest instrument of control: the Sovereignty Protection Office. Officially created to safeguard the country’s constitutional identity, the office functions as a political bludgeon, branding critical NGOs and independent journalists as tools of foreign influence.
Transparency International Hungary and the investigative platform Átlátszó were among the first targets, labeled “foreign agents” in reports amplified by pro-government media. For Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, which now faces real electoral competition from the upstart Tisza party, controlling the narrative is essential—and so is discrediting dissent.
The European Commission has responded with legal action, referring Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU. But legal proceedings move slowly. Repression moves quickly.
Surveillance in an EU Capital
Hungary’s authoritarian turn is not just legislative—it’s digital. As early as 2021, journalists revealed that the government had deployed Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel’s NSO Group, to track critics, journalists, and businesspeople.
Meanwhile, independent media has been effectively neutered. Major outlets have been folded into KESMA, a government-friendly media conglomerate bankrolled by state advertising. In Hungary today, state power speaks with one voice—and it echoes Orbán’s.
Policing Identity
In March 2025, Hungary’s parliament passed a law banning Budapest’s Pride march under the guise of protecting children. The same legislation authorizes facial recognition technology to identify—and fine—anyone participating in outlawed protests.
This move triggered scrutiny from Brussels, where the European Commission is examining whether the law violates the EU’s AI Act, which prohibits real-time biometric surveillance at protests. Yet again, Hungary tests the boundaries of EU law, daring Brussels to act while betting it won’t.
Europe’s Authoritarian Blind Spot
Orbán’s Hungary has perfected a troubling model: authoritarianism with EU membership. Elections continue. Courts still function. But the machinery of state—media, law enforcement, surveillance—has been bent to serve one party, one narrative, one man.
What’s happening in Budapest is not an anomaly. It’s a warning.
As Ukraine fights a war for its future in Europe, Hungary is showing how that future can be subverted from within. The question is whether the EU will respond before it’s too late—not just for Hungary, but for the credibility of the democratic project itself.