Under glittering chandeliers in a neoclassical ballroom, guests gathered for a conference marking 250 years of American independence, hosted by Viktor Orbán's favored think tank in Brussels.
But beneath the glitz, MCC Brussels' future is in doubt.
The think tank, which has co-sponsored events with Nigel Farage and Suella Braverman, faces an urgent cash crunch after Orbán's political ousting in April.
New Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said the state will no longer finance conservative organizations including the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) and its affiliates.
Funding Crisis and Survival Plans
MCC Brussels launched in November 2022 as an offshoot of its parent institute in Budapest.
It declared €6.37 million in annual funding in 2024 from MCC Budapest, making it one of the best-funded think tanks in the EU capital.
Director Frank Furedi said the think tank would need alternative funding from September. "No matter what, we'll continue in some shape or form," he said.
He acknowledged potential changes, including a shift to a more online presence if donors do not step forward.
Furedi rejected the narrative from Budapest questioning the legal status of the parent organization's endowment, calling it "bullshit."
He maintained that the organization's records have always been transparent.
He argued that the new government is "entitled" to control public funding but not to "close down an institution that is doing good work."
Furedi said MCC Brussels has taken up themes that nobody else has touched, challenging the "narrow conversation" in EU politics.
Controversies and Regulatory Suspension
Critics accuse MCC Brussels of defending Orbán's corrupt rule and lacking transparency over its own funding.
In early 2024, the think tank supported farmer protests in Brussels, publishing reports claiming EU policy was "destroying" farming.
MCC also accused the European Commission of "funnelling billions into a shadowy network of NGOs and thinktanks," fueling a campaign against EU funding of civil society groups.
Petros Fassoulas of the European Movement International, one of the organizations highlighted, said the report contributed to a climate against NGOs.
MCC Brussels was suspended from the EU Transparency Register last month following a complaint from the NGO Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) over failure to disclose funding.
MCC Brussels registered on the EU list in January 2024 but did not disclose its funding until August 2024, which the think tank said was within the allowed timeframe.
CEO co-founder Olivier Hoedeman said the complaint was initiated when MCC Brussels was "leading the attack on civil society," calling their failure to disclose their own budget "glaringly hypocritical."
MCC Brussels claimed the suspension was "politically motivated."
The European Commission declined to explain the reasons for the suspension, citing ongoing administrative proceedings.
