Rolling Euros: Brussels Cash Keeps Pouring Into Hungarian Media Outlets Linked to Soros Network

Brussels is funneling money to Hungarian media outlets tied to the global left-wing network: as part of a European Commission–funded media project, the publisher of 444.hu, Magyar Jeti Zrt., is now set to receive more than 120 million forints’ worth of euros in EU funding. Earlier, one of the central figures in the City Hall–gate scandal spoke on a leaked audio recording about precisely this phenomenon—namely, that foreign actors and financiers stand behind the Hungarian opposition and outlets such as 444. The key figure in that Budapest scandal also stated at the time that Gordon Bajnai—who in recent days has openly joined Peter Magyar’s campaign—is the domestic representative of German and American big-capital interests and maintains close ties with Peter Uj, the editor-in-chief of the 444 portal.

George Soros (Photo: AFP)

Brussels has once again awarded significant financial support to what it describes as the Hungarian flagship of the Soros network: the publisher of 444.hu. According to data published on the European Commission’s website, Magyar Jeti Zrt. has received €318,172—more than 120 million forints—as part of a media project known as The Eastern Frontier Initiative (TEFI). The project is coordinated by the publisher of 444 itself and has previously received funding from the European Commission.

Brussels has once again granted substantial financial support to the Hungarian flagship of the Soros network, the publisher of 444.hu (Source: Facebook)

The Sovereignty Protection Office recently examined the TEFI media project, which is also active in Hungary, and concluded that it forms an integral part of the Soros network. According to the report, the Hungary-based consortium—led by Magyar Jeti Zrt.—includes Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, Slovakia’s Sme, the Netherlands-based Bellingcat, and Romania’s PressOne, all of which the office links to the Soros-affiliated network. The report also notes that, alongside articles driven by manipulative and disinformation narratives, consortium members regularly publish joint materials with the Globsec think tank—widely regarded as an EU strategic policy hub—which are distributed in schools and universities.

EU Funds Keep Pouring Into the Soros Network

In December of last year, we published an investigative report revealing that, under the banner of combating disinformation, Brussels was channeling hundreds of millions of forints into a project dominated by Soros-linked organizations. The Hungarian Digital Media Observatory (HDMO), funded by the European Commission, is receiving €1.3 million for its “anti-disinformation” project running from October 1, 2024, through March 31, 2028. Control over these funds largely rests with organizations openly hostile to the Hungarian government and aligned with left-liberal politics, including Political Capital, the Mertek Media Monitor, the Idea Foundation, Lakmusz (operated by Magyar Jeti Zrt.), and the French news agency AFP. These same institutions also participated in the previous fact-checking program, which ran from January 1, 2023, to September 30, 2025, and brought in €1,44 million in EU funding.

“Fact-Checkers” in Key Role

Here, too, Magyar Jeti Zrt.—the publisher of both 444 and Lakmusz—appears among the supported media enterprises. Lakmusz operates as a so-called fact-checking portal. In recent years, such organizations have become key tools for global progressive networks, using the banner of fact-checking to restrict press freedom, shape public discourse, and, through that influence, affect domestic political processes in various countries. This trend is clearly illustrated by the recent changes in funding flowing to Lakmusz. In 2024 alone, Magyar Jeti Zrt. received 173 million forints in grant funding for the portal, including support through the European Commission–funded Sphera project. This amount exceeded the previous year’s funding by 23 million forints.

Gordon Bajnai Has Close Ties to Peter Uj

Further insight into the domestic operation and financing of the left-liberal globalist network emerged from audio recordings made public during the City Hall scandal, in which Gyula Gansperger—a longtime ally of Gordon Bajnai—spoke candidly. In one video released in December 2021, the masked figure known as “Anonymus” explained why the left-wing press remained silent about the planned sale of Budapest’s historic City Hall building. He attributed the silence to the entanglements highlighted by the businessman, who maintains close ties with Hungary’s last left-wing prime minister.

Mr. Gansperger stated that Mr. Bajnai is effectively an agent of the Soros empire and of foreign—primarily American and German—big-capital interests. He also emphasized the role of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which finances left-wing political experts through conferences and publications. He further asserted that foreign capital stands behind both 444 and Magyar Narancs, and claimed that Peter Uj, the head of 444, also receives financial backing.

To recall exactly what Mr. Gansperger said about 444, which operates under Magyar Jeti Zrt., the businessman remarked during the conversation: “They spend a f***ing huge amount of money on this crowd… Basically, behind the entire opposition movement in Hungary, as I see it, there are foreign forces and financiers.” He then elaborated: “Who are these forces? One part is the Soros empire, let’s put it that way. The other part consists of big-capital groups—mainly from Germany and the United States—that want influence here. I think Gordon is their man. According to his longtime associate, then, Gordon Bajnai is a key figure in coordinating foreign support for Hungary’s left. At one point in the conversation, Mr. Gansperger also stated that “Gordon is very close with Peter Uj.”

All this is particularly noteworthy given that ex-PM Bajnai gave an interview to HVG earlier this year, in which he openly expressed support for the Tisza Party.

Cover photo: George Soros (Photo: AFP)