The European Union has continued to provide funding for liberal projects backed by U.S.-Hungarian billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations while simultaneously blocking payments due to the Hungarian government, according to reports by the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.
In June, more than half a billion Hungarian forints (€1.3 million) was awarded to national and local non-government organizations (NGOs) that support the liberal agenda in Hungary, nearly two-thirds of which are linked to the Soros network.
The Hungarian newspaper claims the European Union is awarding the funds on the proviso that Brussels stipulates how it is spent and allocated among anti-government organizations and liberal media outlets across Hungary.
This is happening despite Brussels’ refusal to sanction payment of EU funds owed to Hungary.
The newspaper reported that HUF 567 million Hungarian (€1.46 million) was allocated to NGOs under the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) program at the beginning of June.
According to the information published so far, the program, which in the case of Hungary covers a seven-year period, generally helps to finance the national and local backbone of the liberal left. The total budget is HUF 4 billion, of which almost HUF 1.5 billion is allocated under the coordination of the Ökotárs Foundation, part of which is the decision-making authority over the current 567 million forints.
In addition to the above-mentioned funding, a number of left-liberal organizations also receive money directly from Brussels under various headings within the same EU program. The list includes well-known domestic NGOs that have benefited from the support of George Soros’ foundation for years.
Magyar Nemzet cites a few examples of the best-known organizations, with the amounts of money they have received:
- Helsinki Committee – Society for Civil Liberties (TASZ): HUF 71 million
- Háttér Society (for homosexuals): HUF 64 million.
- Association led by Amnesty International: HUF 100 million
- Republikon Institute: HUF 59 million
In addition to those listed above, other Soros-linked regional human rights organizations will also benefit from EU funds, such as Emberség Erejével in Pécs, the Alternative Communities Association in Debrecen, Dialogue for Communities in Miskolc and the Motiváció Oktatási Egyesület in Szeged. They will receive a total of HUF 66 million Hungarian.
It is important to note that almost two-thirds of the winning organizations have received grants from the George Soros Open Society Foundations several times before. A good number of the successful applications deal with LGBTQ issues and migration. There are also many applications that aim to support anti-government actions such as the protest against the battery factory in Göd.
