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The organization is accused of not declaring its funding sources in the EU transparency register. MCC Brussels calls the decision political and warns of an appeal…
MCC Brussels, a right-wing think tank with ties to former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has been suspended from the European Union’s Transparency Register after it was accused of failing to fully disclose financial information, including sources of funding. According to an email from the Transparency Register secretariat obtained by Politico, the organization has been suspended from the register that monitors lobbying and influence activities in EU institutions.
The decision could limit MCC Brussels' ability to hold certain meetings with European institutions. The suspension could also exclude the organization from participating in European Commission expert groups and European Parliament committee hearings.
The move follows a complaint filed by the Corporate Europe Observatory, which alleged that MCC Brussels had failed to disclose its funding sources. The organization also accused the institute of spreading propaganda in favor of Orbán’s government. MCC Brussels was founded in 2022. According to financial statements, the organization received more than 6 million euros in 2024 to promote its approach to political, socio-economic and cultural issues at the European level. Almost all of the funding came from the Hungarian educational institution Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) based in Budapest, which is run by close political allies of Orbán.
MCC Brussels founder and executive director Frank Furedi said the organization has faced repeated attempts to marginalize and silence it because it challenges what he sees as dominant views in European political debates. MCC Brussels is known for its critical stance on EU climate policies. Last year, it organized an event at the European Parliament entitled “The Threat of Trans Ideology,” supported by Hungarian Fidesz MEP Andras Laszlo.
For his part, MCC Brussels' communications director, John O'Brien, called the decision "political from the start." He argued that the complaint was filed by an activist organization that, according to him, has long opposed MCC Brussels and received support from networks linked to George Soros' Open Society Foundations.
The EU Transparency Register includes more than 17,500 organisations that lobby or influence European policies. Registered organisations must regularly publish financial data and adhere to a code of conduct.
MCC Brussels announced that it will immediately challenge the decision through all available appeal mechanisms.
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