Hungarian government: it is not true that the EU is stopping Erasmus plus programs

The European Union’s Erasmus plus programmes can continue undisturbed in Hungary this year, the ministry of culture and innovation said on Monday.

A European Commission decision made in December concerning public interest asset management foundations carrying out public duties does not affect exchange programmes, the ministry said in a statement.

The government will hold continual coordinations until the March deadline in order to ensure continued undisturbed access to resources affecting higher education, it added.

Ongoing exchange programmes and those to be announced this year for higher education students and teachers are not affected by the EC decision, the ministry said.

“Hungary has fulfilled all its commitments and therefore refuses to accept the European Commission’s discriminative decision to exclude public interest asset management foundations carrying out public duties and the universities they manage from direct EU tenders,” the statement said.

“This will be clarified, similarly to the issue of other EU resources, by March 16, 2023,” the ministry added.

The statement was issued after a press report suggesting that universities run by public interest asset management foundations will not receive fresh funding as part of the EU’s Erasmus programme — under which students from Hungary can study abroad. Details HERE: EU withdraws Erasmus support from Hungarian foundation universities

According to RTL, Tibor Navracsics, Minister without portfolio for the use of EU funds, said that during the negotiations it had never even been suggested that the European Commission would consider it risky to have active politicians on the board of trustees of public interest foundations.

Read alsoHungarian universities excluded from Erasmus, here are the opposition reactions

Source: MTI, RTL