Our joint letter represents a collective effort to speak up against the politicisation of the DMA as a retaliatory measure against the United States. Many thanks to all who took the time to sign!

After 15 years of Orbán’s rule, media capture in Hungary remains alarming. In @verfassungsblog.de we look at the Blikk acquisition by pro-government Indamedia and explore how the European Media Freedom Act could give the EU more leverage. verfassungsblog.de/curb-media-c...

@alemanno.bsky.social @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social @hmnzngr.bsky.social @direkt36.bsky.social @spiegel.de @derstandard.at @tijd.be @larsbove.bsky.social

💥ICYMI: Hungarian intelligence spied on the EU from Brussels in the 2010s, trying to recruit Hungarians inside EU institutions. Their reckless operation backfired—the network got exposed, and now even EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi’s role is under scrutiny. @direkt36.bsky.social @papertrailmedia.de

That HU disrupts the functioning of the EU’s internal market comes as no surprise, nor that it manages state aid schemes flawlessly to the benefit of foreign companies. But that NL investments lend their support to Orbán’s authoritarian regime becomes undeniable when reading this @fd.nl analysis

Slovakia in the footsteps of Hungary: new constitutional amendments impose binary gender, restrict adoption to heterosexual couples, and ban surrogacy, a major step backwards for rights in the EU. #RuleOfLaw #LGBTIQ #Slovakia

In other words, #Ecofin today gives lesson No.1. in EU law and integration to HU: respect market mechanisms and protect "undistored competition"in the internal market.

Double nationality has never felt more meaningful than seeing A'dam mayor Femke Halsema and the Dutch ambassador front row on stage at #BudapestPride yesterday photo Istvan Huszti @telexhu.bsky.social

#BudapestPride #LoveisLove #Freedomcannotbebanned telex.hu/belfold/2025...

Hungary’s New “Transparency” bill to Eliminate All Dissent The draft bill targets civil society and independent media by labeling them as foreign-influenced threats, imposing punitive restrictions. This is not a threat—it’s a calculated move to erase dissent from the HU public sphere.

What can, and should a national competition authority analyse in case of a media merger, this time in the Netherlands concenring the planned merger between DPG/RTL. #mediaplurality #ruleoflaw #competitionlaw www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

A dark turn in Hungary’s democracy erosion: disguised as a transparency measure to prevent sovereignty threats, the Bill on the Transparency of Public Life aims to starve and strangle civil society, independent media and any legal entity the government decides to target. helsinki.hu/en/operation...

"Good morning Russia, Fidesz’s spring clean-up bill has arrived" — Telex.hu on HU’s new law enabling the Office for Protection of Sovereignty label foreign-funded organizations as threats to HU's sovereignty, severely restricting their work. telex.hu

📢 State aid complaint filed against Hungary over distorted media markets through state advertising. Today Magyar Hang filed a State aid complaint with the European Commission, concerning HU gov's advertising practicesin HU media markets. #StateAid #MediaFreedom #Hungary hang.hu/info/stateme...

Attention scientists! The Trump plan to institute Schedule F would destroy expert peer review by permitting politically appointed officials to interfere in grant decisions. Object by clicking on the green "public comment" link here: www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

"America’s Future Is Hungary" a must read by @anneapplebaum.bsky.social

Hungary finally arising against what should be all's concern: banning Pride today is banning the freedom of assembly to all of us tomorrow. Downtown Budapest now protesting against the law banning pride telex.hu/belfold/2025...

Today Hungarian Parliament voted to ban Pride events. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m... Huge crowd is now protesting on the streets in Budapest. 444.hu/2025/03/18/a...

#jesuispoloska (poloska=in ENG>bug) telex.hu/english/2025...

Here is 15th(!) amendment HU Basic law: Nobody can be deprived of their HU citizenship "The citizenship of a HU citizen who is also a citizen of another state, with theexception of a citizen of a state with the right of freemovement and residence, may be suspended for a limited period of time."

Can a country expel its own citizens? In the draft new amendments to HU's Basic Law, Fidesz lead targets Hungarians with dual citizenship, "if his or her activities threaten the national sovereignty, public order, territorial integrity or security of Hungary." 444.hu/2025/03/09/a...

HU is a problem to the EU, its vetoes, blackmails, blockades threaten EU unity. BUT HU is not equal with Orbán + his government, kicking out the country will cut off important ties with the broader HU society who is very pro-EU.

Participation of third parties in the public enforcement of the Digital Markets Act: between democracy and technocracy 1st presented in 2023 at our joint DMA workshop w/@article19.bsky.social now my paper w/ LC Korte is published in Journal of antitrust enforcement academic.oup.com/antitrust/ad...

The new EUCO formation is #EU26

Best visual, no comment needed

Orbán is currently the oly EU leader disrupting EU unity, and its clear and strong support for Zelensky and Ukraine. A disgrace for Hungary.

Speakers of tomorrow's judicial protest include 1️⃣ András Baka (former chief justice who was dismissed for speaking out to defend judicial independence—Baka v Hungary ECtHR case), 2️⃣ Duro Sessa from the International Association of Judges, and 3️⃣ Mikael Sjoeberg from the European Association of Judges.

Dutch organization Judges for judges (rechters voor rechters) support for today's Demonstration for independent judiciary in Budapest. www.mabie.hu/hirek/a-demo...

Als universiteiten te maken krijgen met een daling van het aantal internationale studenten door de Wet Internationalisering in Balans (WIB), zullen de financiële tekorten snel verder oplopen. Een nieuwe benchmark van PwC laat zien dat Nederlandse universiteiten nu al voor grote uitdagingen staan.

A dinasztia (The Dynasty) - how the economic empire of the Orbán family was born A new documentary (with English subtitles) produced by @Direkt36 about the business activities of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's family. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ4S...

The Authoritarian Market Playbook is a new @verfassungsblog.de co-written w/York Albrecht on autocratic economic governance by focusing on the case of Hungary as a role model for authoritarian market interference in the EU. #ruleoflaw #internalmarket #Hungary verfassungsblog.de/the-authorit...

Name him, shame him and put him on a sanctioning list. The move of the US putting Head of Cabinet of HU PM, Antal Rogán, on a sanction list is not just a clap in the face of HU, but also the EU! Rogán is not just the face of high levels of corruption, but also of centralized and full media capture.

With Maciej Bernatt, we share our thoughts on the "Eastern deficit" in current debates on EU competition policy + how to bridge the East-West divide in an inclusive way. Thank you for @ProMarket_org for giving us the space.#CEE #EUcompetitionpolicy #democracy www.promarket.org/2024/12/18/a...

I have to admit, I have been saying that independence of judges is not such a grave issue in Hungary as in Poland. I was wrong. The case of Judge Kovács proves that. helsinki.hu/en/wp-conten...

“EMFA Monitor Hungary” is here! We founded #EMFAMonitorHU to serve as platform of expertise. Hosted by Mertek Media Monitor the #EMFAMonitorHU provides independent scholarly input, expert opinions + facilitates discussions on implementing EMFA in HU mertek.eu/en/2024/12/0...

HU spying on EU officials: HU Information Office was monitoring OLAF staff investigating suspicious projects linked to the son-in-law of Orbán by @direkt36.bsky.social Orbán www.direkt36.hu/en/english-e...

"Breaking the Glass Ceiling to Attack Other Women" by Francesca De Benedetti jacobin.com/2024/11/wome...

Read, read! Orbán government exceptionally not making but abolishing laws!👇

This is fun while core EU law or rather core EU value reading www.linkedin.com/pulse/hungar...

We have a new (far from perfect) EU Commission, including HU candidate Olivér Várhelyi approved

A disgrace to the whole process of Commissioner-designates hearings. And tell me there is no gender-dimension to this awful political game

When your chances competing on merits in national elections are getting weaker, what do you do when you are HU prime minister? Change elections law and electoral district boundaries. #gerrymandering telex.hu/valasztasi-f...

For those caring for #ruleoflaw and #fundamentalrights for all, this will be a live coverage by RECLAIM on CJEU's judgment in EU v Hungary's anti-LGBTQI+ legislation

Ik voel me sinds afgelopen november al vaker in een soort déja vu van Hongarije, maar dit gaat nog verder en wordt erger

Livestream hier www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhu7...

My "feminist imaginary" of competition law you can read my paper here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... and my blog Feminist antitrust: competitionlawblog.kluwercompetitionlaw.com/2024/01/12/f...