MCC Brussels Loses €6.37 Million Lifeline as EU Suspends Lobby Register Access
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
MCC Brussels Loses €6.37 Million Lifeline as EU Suspends Lobby Register Access
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5
Summary
MCC Brussels is scrambling for new funding from September after Viktor Orbán’s April defeat prompted Hungary’s new government to halt state financing for the thinktank and affiliated groups.
€6.37 million in 2024 funding from MCC Budapest had made the Brussels outpost one of the EU capital’s best-funded thinktanks, but Prime Minister Péter Magyar has also ordered an investigation into the original state asset transfer.
Last month’s suspension from the EU Transparency Register adds a second blow: without listing, MCC Brussels cannot meet senior EU officials, undermining its access and credibility in Brussels.
The suspension followed a 2025 complaint that MCC Brussels failed to disclose funding after joining the register in January 2024; the group calls the move politically motivated and says its finances are transparent.
Founded in 2022 after Fidesz’s break with Europe’s mainstream center-right, MCC Brussels has become a prominent hub for Orbán-aligned and far-right networking, making its financial and regulatory crisis politically significant beyond Hungary.