Signal Hungary's 2025 law enabling bans on LGBTIQA+ events and media capture

Summary

The report cites the erosion of democracy in Hungary as the most prominent case of declining rule of law among EU member states. In 2025, for example, Hungary introduced legislation that makes it possible to ban LGBTIQA+ events. The Hungarian government has brought the media sector increasingly under its control by intimidating critical journalists and having pro-government outlets take over independent media. The EU has also expressed concern about political interference in judicial procedures in Hungary. The report sees such backsliding not only in young Eastern European democracies but also in older ones such as Italy. The report presents these cases as part of a broader pattern in which the rule of law is gradually weakened in several member states through political interference in the judiciary, limits on press freedom and tightened procedures.