Orbán's think tanks under investigation

Following his election in April 2026, the new Hungarian Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, announced that he would no longer fund his predecessor’s think tanks and would investigate the financial practices of Viktor Orbán’s government. The Hungarian media portal Atlatszó has now had the opportunity to review the contracts the Danube Institute entered into to expand its networks with the European far right. A detailed report on this has been published in English by VSquare.

The Danube Institute (DI), which has also been active in Germany and other European countries in recent years, is supported by the Lajos Batthyány Foundation (BLA). To strengthen the Orbán government’s influence across Europe, the DI consistently funded so-called visiting fellows, who received contracts for articles, lectures, or conference attendance, typically for a period of several months. Arian Aghashahi, for example—whose CPAC plans for Germany we reported on in April—is a fellow at the Danube Institute.

For example, a typical contract with an international fellow from 2025 looked like this: “4 articles in British media, writing 4 articles for the Hungarian Review/Conservative, other media appearances, 1 panel discussion, 1 podcast. Participation in international events with expenses covered, consulting.” These services were compensated at a rate of 5,500 euros per month for a four-month term, for a total of 22,000 euros. In 2025, contracts with a total value of 1.1 million euros were signed. A detailed list of the contracts, obtained through requests under the Hungarian Freedom of Information Act, is published on VSquare.