State-funded animal welfare foundation spent millions on BBQ sets, scented candles, and softshell jackets

A Hungarian state-funded animal welfare foundation spent nearly HUF 193.2 million on communication services in less than a year, including expensive PR campaigns, promotional gifts, and a one-day animal welfare picnic. Documents obtained by Átlátszó through a freedom of information request reveal that companies owned by Gyula Balásy, a businessman closely associated with the former Orbán government’s communication campaigns, received almost the entire amount of a HUF 196 million framework contract.

The Közös ügyünk az állatvédelem Alapítvány (Animal Welfare Is Our Common Cause Foundation), which receives approximately HUF 1.7 billion (cca 4,5 million EUR) in annual state funding, signed the communication contract with Balásy’s New Land Media in June 2025. The agreement was based on a centralised government procurement framework administered by the National Communications Office.

After the foundation failed to publish the contract and initially delayed responding to our freedom of information request, it eventually provided a summary and 38 certificates of completion. These documents show that between July 2025 and April 2026, Balásy’s companies fulfilled 38 orders worth HUF 193.2 million excluding VAT. Lounge Design received HUF 154.6 million, while New Land Media received HUF 38.6 million.

The largest expenses included HUF 62.1 million for communication packages covering public relations, social media management, graphic design and photography, HUF 35.7 million for billboard advertising, and HUF 38.2 million for an animal welfare picnic. The foundation also ordered promotional items, including backpacks, umbrellas, Bluetooth speakers, scented candles, softshell jackets, BBQ sets and pizza cutters. Documents show that promotional merchandise orders amounted to HUF 41.8 million in total.

The foundation did not answer our questions about who received the Christmas BBQ sets, pizza cutters and scented candles. It only stated that the softshell jackets had been distributed to professional partners and event participants.

One of the most expensive individual events was the Animal Welfare Picnic held on 27 September 2025. The one-day event cost HUF 31.1 million, with another HUF 6.9 million spent on branded gifts and additional expenses for leaflets, bringing the total to HUF 38.2 million. The event included 40 tents, a large custom-built installation, 250 lunch packages, a reception for 50 guests and a musical performance.

For comparison, the foundation allocated HUF 30 million each to establish municipal dog control facilities in Nagydobos and Kompolt. According to Átlátszó’s earlier investigation, neither facility was operational at the time of reporting, despite receiving the funding. The foundation’s total spending on communication was also approximately three times the value of a separate HUF 63.8 million procurement for 116 tonnes of animal food.

The documents revealed another questionable expense: media monitoring services for November and December 2025 appeared both in a comprehensive communication package and as separately invoiced services. When questioned, the foundation acknowledged that the package contained an incorrect item and said it had already requested a correction from the contractor. However, it did not clarify whether the disputed amounts had been paid or refunded.

The foundation defended its spending, arguing that public communication was part of its statutory responsibilities rather than merely an additional PR activity. It also stressed that it had not independently selected Balásy’s companies, as government regulations required it to use the National Communications Office’s centralised procurement system.

Most of the contracts were implemented while László Gajdos, who subsequently became Minister responsible for the living environment in Péter Magyar’s Tisza government, was a member of the foundation’s board of trustees. Gajdos left the board on 1 May 2026 and ordered a comprehensive audit of the foundation in August.

Átlátszó’s previous analysis found that less than half of the public funding received by the foundation had been redistributed directly to animal welfare purposes, although the foundation disputes this conclusion. Meanwhile, the foundation’s chair, Szilvia Vetter, resigned effective 30 September 2026.