European Commission issues warning to Hungary over "media freedom violations"

The European Commission (EC) has issued a warning to Hungary for allegedly failing to comply with the EU’s media freedom law.

“The European Commission has decided to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Hungary for failing to comply with several provisions of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA),” Caliber.Az reports, citing a statement on the EC’s website.

The EC said Hungary is not meeting requirements related to the functioning of public media, transparency of media ownership, assessment of market concentration, and the allocation of state advertising. Budapest has been given two months to respond and remedy the identified violations.

The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), the main provisions of which entered into application on 8 August 2025, is a key piece of legislation to protect media freedom, independence and pluralism within the EU's internal market. 

By Khagan Isayev