April 2017 has seen the biggest anti-government protest in Budapest, Hungary, since Mr Orban came to power seven years ago. Thousands of people have taken part in a protest to demand the abolition of laws which could force the closure of one of the country's most prestigious universities, the Central European University (CEU). New rules introduced by the government mean the CEU would be unable to award diplomas because it is registered in the United States of America. The Hungarian Government has also been moving to limit the influence of nongovernmental organizations that promote democracy and the rule of law, especially those receiving foreign funding. The free flow of capital is an issue for international companies as well as for civil society organizations operating in the country:
The Government is questioning the legitimate role of civic organizations to formulate opinion on government policies because no one elected them. Such definition of stakeholder status would render all chambers of commerce and business and professional associations illegitimate;
The Government is questioning the legitimate role of civic organizations which receive some of their funding from abroad, using the term foreign agent to label them. The suggestion that the legitimacy of organizations operating partially or fully using funding coming from a donor or parent company in another nation questions the security of all foreign direct investments in the country;
Representatives of the governing party repeatedly identified foreign corporations as having opposing interests with Hungarians and threatened that civic groups that “serve the interests of foreign powers and the international big business as opposed to Hungarians, have nothing to do here”.
By raising these issues with the Hungarian government and by showing their support for the CEU and for the civil society organizations in the country, businesses can respond to the concerns of their consumers and employees, and be a powerful voice in reversing the dangerous trend.
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