Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office has launched a disinformation campaign against The Eastern Frontier Initiative (TEFI), a consortium of independent publishers from Central and Eastern Europe. The office falsely claims that the participating outlets are not independent media but rather collaborators seeking to "exert direct political pressure" to manipulate society. It also alleges that TEFI is a propaganda initiative funded by the European Commission to shape public opinion in Central Europe in line with Brussels’ war strategy.
TEFI members – 444, Bellingcat, Gazeta Wyborcza, PressOne, and SME – categorically reject this defamatory campaign, which targets one of the last bastions of democratic institutions: the independent press.
The consortium's editorial teams assume full responsibility for the content they produce and publish. The funding that supports TEFI’s operations does not compromise journalistic independence; on the contrary, it is contractually mandated and guaranteed under European law.
TEFI participants collaborate on reporting issues related to the broad spectrum of security in Central Europe, from natural resources and cybersecurity to defense and personal safety.
The initiative aims to foster knowledge sharing within the European press and contribute to a more resilient European democracy. A key part of this mission is countering disinformation, one of the most pressing threats to our democracies.
The European Commission has deemed Hungary’s "Defence of Sovereignty" law – which established the Sovereignty Protection Office – to be in violation of EU law and has referred the country to the European Court of Justice.