Key facts
- Frank Füredi resigned as Executive Director of MCC Brussels.
- Füredi cited "severe cause" due to unpaid staff salaries and failure to provide funds.
- MCC Brussels was founded in 2022 with support from the Hungarian government under then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
- The new government, led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, has accused MCC of being a political tool and stated it will no longer be state-financed.
- MCC Brussels has been a prominent voice for the European right, advocating for populism and co-hosting events with far-right groups.
Frank Füredi, the executive director of the right-wing think tank MCC Brussels, has resigned, citing the organization's financial backers for failing to pay staff. In a letter to the board of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, Füredi stated he was resigning with immediate effect due to "severe cause" attributable to the employer's persistent failure to provide contractually agreed funds.
MCC Brussels was established in 2022 with support from the Hungarian government under then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Füredi's resignation comes amid a rift with the new government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who won an election in April. Magyar has accused MCC of being part of a state-backed network designed to spread the political views of the former ruling party and has stated that the state will no longer finance the Mathias Corvinus Collegium institutions.
Füredi's letter indicated that funds have been withheld, leaving MCC Brussels staff unpaid and projects undelivered. He expressed that terminating his contract was the only way to rescue the achievements of MCC Brussels and promote its values. The think tank, which has been a leading voice for the European right, has previously vowed to find alternative funding sources. In June, the EU's database of lobbyists suspended MCC Brussels' membership, potentially impacting its access to the European Parliament.