The passage outlines the conflict between Hungary’s government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and the European Union regarding media freedom. The government has labeled the EU Media Freedom Act (EMFA) as a violation of Hungary’s sovereignty and has legally challenged it. This has led to infringement proceedings by the European Commission against Hungary for its media practices, particularly the transformation of public media into state propaganda since 2010.
The new Magyar government is attempting to rectify these issues by reforming public media governance and seeking input from independent press representatives. The reforms aim to promote investigative journalism in Hungary, which has seen a significant drop in its press freedom ranking—falling 51 places since 2010 to 74th out of 180 countries in the latest World Press Freedom Index.
Overall, the text highlights the ongoing tensions between national governance and EU regulations, especially in the realm of media independence.
