Hungarian universities defend autonomy, condemn EU decision on Erasmus+ exclusion
Six Hungarian universities on Wednesday expressed support for Hungary’s higher education model based on the opportunity given to universities to be run by foundations rather than directly by the state, saying that the European Commission had ignored powerful arguments made for the past two years that the changes had not at all compromised the autonomy of universities.
Referring to a recent European Commission decision to maintain the status quo locking students of Hungarian universities run by foundations from the Erasmus+ and Horizon programmes, the universities said in a statement that the commission was uninterested in pursuing dialogue.
The statement by Semmelweis, Óbuda and Veterinary Science universities of Budapest, and the universities of Debrecen, Miskolc, and Dunaújváros said the EC decision was “aimed at putting pressure on Hungary … involving students and researchers of 21 universities in a political conflict”.
The students and researchers “are suffering unjust discrimination”, the statement said, adding that the procedure breached the EU’s fundamental principles stipulating equal treatment and scientific freedoms.
“The EC’s problems with the Hungarian government … have nothing to do with Hungarian universities,” the statement said. “We are convinced that the European Commission and Council’s concerns against the government of Hungary in connection with the rule of law cannot be legitimately used as an excuse to interfere with the integrity of Hungarian universities and to grievously punish researchers and students,” it added.
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2 Comments
For the deep dive on why the EU reacted like it did:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2023.2234941#d1e202
TLDR:
“While the introduction of boards with significant decision-making power aligns with international governance trends, the Hungarian reform has some distinctive features (EUA Citation2023): the exclusion of institutions from member selection, the high number of pro-government politicians among board members and the lifetime employment of board members.
First, the government selected and appointed all initial board members. The selection process was not transparent and regulated. Institutions formally could not influence the composition of their boards; they could only suggest members informally.
Second, of the 106 seats on the boards of the 21 foundations (as of January 2022), 31 were occupied by active politicians (ministers, state secretaries, members of parliament, mayors, appointed government officials, political counsellors) and 4 ex-politicians of the governing party, but many other seats were distributed to business people and intellectuals openly sympathetic to the governing party.
Third, board members hold the positions for their lifetime and as a person. They can keep their board membership even after they lose their position in the government or institution… Most board members receive substantial remuneration, typically similar or higher than that of university professors.
Finally, the laws governing the status of public interest foundations can only be changed by a qualified (2/3) majority. A new government could change the regulatory environment only with a very strong mandate.
Regulations do not specify the criteria for board member selection, so it is not possible to draw any conclusions about the possible role of the board.”
Criteria for board member selection could not possibly have to do with being a Politician, former Politician, a NER Knight, a proven friend and/or toadie, could it?
So, universities ran by FIDESZ complain about being excluded from EU money because the EU doesn’t want to fund Orbán’s corruption?