Eötvös Károly Intézet

Founded in 2003, Eötvös Károly Intézet is a think tank based in Budapest, Hungary working on democracy & civil society, human rights, justice & legal aid.

Eötvös Károly Intézet (EKINT) is a Budapest-based public policy institute established in January 2003 by the Soros Foundation. It works to strengthen constitutionalism, the rule of law, individual rights and democratic governance in Hungary. It pursues three core activities: public statements and events aimed at the general public, policy proposals and analyses addressed to decision-makers, and longer-term research and surveys on the state of Hungarian democratic institutions and public services aimed at professional audiences. The institute comments on legislation, emergency powers, judicial independence, academic autonomy, press and information freedoms, and civil society, and it has taken part in litigation and submissions before the Strasbourg bodies together with other NGOs. It also runs the Legyen Köztársaság! public affairs and cultural festival and publishes a blog, video series and books. The institute describes itself as independent of government and political parties.