The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomes the abolishment of the Orbán-era Sovereignty Protection Office by the new Tisza government. The parliament passed a law officially dissolving the institution, marking another positive step towards the restoration of press freedom in the country.

The SPO was set up in 2024 ostensibly to protect Hungary’s national sovereignty from foreign political interference. In reality, the body, headed by a speechwriter of the former Prime Minister, became one of the most controversial and politicized institutions in the country and posed a threat to civil society and media freedom.

For the past two years, the institution systematically abused its powers in a discriminatory and abusive manner to target investigative media and civil society organisations which receive foreign grants or funding and falsely portray them as the agents of foreign interests. These often defamatory investigations targeted many of the country’s independent media and contributed to the stigmatization and discreditation of their journalism.

The new law will come into effect in 15 days. Under the changes, the Sovereignty Protection Office will be dismantled and its president and deputies will be dismissed. Its assets will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice and its mandate will cease.

The legality of the law under which the SPO was established had been challenged in front of the European Court of Justice by the European Commission. This legal step by Tisza, which required a previous amendment to the country’s Fundamental Law to remove the 2023 constitutional provision under the SPO was established, will end the EU’s legal challenge.

IPI welcomes the step by Tisza to fulfil a manifesto pledge, the completion of which represents one element in the wider dismantling of the illiberal system in Hungary. IPI calls on the government to consider the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the abusive practices and reports of the SPO and its President.

Ahead of the election, IPI outlined our top 10 priorities for media reform, one of which involved the abolishment of the Sovereignty Protection Office.

The development comes after the Tisza government last week passed a media law overhauling the Orbán-era framework governing the country’s public media and media regulatory bodies.

IPI urges the new government to ensure these initial pieces of legislation are now followed with further reforms, particularly regarding state advertising transparency, media ownership transparency and media concentration.