During the debate titled “The European Commission’s Interference in the Democratic Process and Elections,” MEP Csaba Dömötör (Fidesz) stated that two weeks before the Hungarian elections, Brussels activated the so-called rapid-response system, which allowed them to restrict social media content, yet to this day, it remains unclear exactly what content was affected by the measure.
The politician accused the European Commission of spending significant sums to fund so-called civil society activist groups that engage in political activities during election campaigns and even deploy intelligence agency tools. It is already known that government leaders in Hungary were wiretapped, he added. He recalled that the European Parliament demanded an investigation when the U.S. government wiretapped German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Csaba Dömötör, referring to Ursula von der Leyen’s statement following the Hungarian elections, said that the Commission president made it clear that 17 billion euros had been suspended, which undermined Hungary’s competitiveness and influenced voters’ decisions.
“Voters are capable of making decisions without interference, and their decisions must be respected! Now that the election is over, Hungary must receive the EU funds it is entitled to without conditions,” the politician stated.
These events serve as a lesson for other member states as well, because if a government comes to power that is unpopular with the mainstream left, it will have the full arsenal of interventions heaped upon it,”
said Dömötör.
MEP András László (Fidesz) also emphasized that Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged that the Commission acted harshly against Viktor Orbán’s government when it froze 17 billion euros in funding, thereby undermining Hungary’s competitiveness.
Hungary was fined 200 million euros, and a daily penalty of one million euros was also imposed for refusing to accept illegal immigrants, he added.
András László called it a massive scandal that the Commission “interferes” in the domestic policies and elections of European Union Member States, something the Brussels elite is trying to cover up. He also criticized the Commission for “activating the rapid response system,” which was used to monitor online activities and interfere in the election campaign.
Enough of the European Commission’s interference in national election campaigns! After Poland, Italy, Romania and several others, now Hungary. The people implementing the EU’s online censorship regime must be held accountable! They are abusing the DSA! pic.twitter.com/ImLX7vEETW
— András LÁSZLÓ MEP 🇭🇺 (@laszloan) April 29, 2026
All of this constitutes a serious violation of EU treaties, thus von der Leyen, as well as the commissioners and officials involved, must face an investigation and take responsibility, declared László.
Like the Fidesz representatives, Zsuzsanna Borvendég (Our Homeland Movement) also said that von der Leyen had “proudly” admitted that her strictness and financial pressure had contributed to the change in power in Hungary that the Commission had hoped for.
The politician called this a manifestation of imperial arrogance.
She objected to the “censorship” of social media platforms, the “manipulation” of Facebook algorithms, and the fact that László Toroczkai, the leader of the Our Homeland Movement, is not even allowed to “have his name appear on Facebook.”
Speaking on behalf of the European Commission, Michael McGrath, the EU Commissioner for the Rule of Law, stated during the debate that the Commission fully respects the conduct of national elections, which falls under the competence and responsibility of member states. “The Commission does not interfere in the organization of elections; its role is to support member states in ensuring fair, secure, and interference-free elections,” he stated. The politician described threats to the elections as alarming, as they could undermine the integrity of democratic institutions and electoral processes.
“The EU has established a comprehensive toolkit, including the Digital Services Act, regulations on political advertising, and legislation on artificial intelligence. Transparency rules have been introduced for political advertising, and non-EU funding is prohibited during the three months preceding elections, while large online platforms are required to conduct risk assessments. The Democracy Shield is designed to counter foreign interference and disinformation,” said Michael McGrath.
Via MTI; Featured photo: Pexels
