higher education law

Socialists: Departure of CEU would be Hungary’s loss

The Central European University (CEU) has been subjected to political persecution and its departure from Hungary would be a loss to the country and its higher education system, the opposition Socialist Party (MSZP) said on Thursday.

The Central European University (CEU) has said that unless the university can emerge from its current legal limbo in Hungary by December 1, the new student intake for its American accredited masters and doctoral programmes will start their studies at the CEU’s new campus in Vienna. Michael Ignatieff, the CEU’s president and rector, told a news conference in Budapest that the decision by the institution’s board of trustees will come into effect on December 1, though, he added, hopefully a solution to the stand-off was still possible to ensure that courses continue in Hungary. Read details HERE.

The Socialists said they called on the government to respect the law and recognise an interstate agreement tied to the university’s operations.

The CEU’s announcement is due to a political attack rather than professional necessity, deputy group leader István Hiller told a press conference on Thursday.

Vilnius, he noted, has expressed willingness to join Vienna in hosting the university if it is forced to leave Hungary.

Hiller, a former education minister, said the ruling parties had decided to amend the education law in spring 2017, and everybody who understood Hungary’s higher education system and legislation knew that the move was aimed at curtailing the CEU.

An agreement between the CEU and Bard College in New York State meets Hungary’s higher education law in every way, yet the Hungarian government refuses to sign it, he said.

The government should recognise the agreement, not least because Bard College was the US higher education institution that accepted the highest number of Hungarian students after 1956, he said, adding that 15 Nobel laureates and 120 universities have protested against the government’s treatment of the CEU.

Photo: ceu.edu

October 25, 2018

US embassy to Hungary: Ambassador working to resolve CEU impasse

The US ambassador to Hungary is working to resolve the issue of the Central European University’s status in Hungary, the embassy said in a statement on Thursday.

The CEU has said that unless the university can emerge from its current legal limbo in Hungary by December 1, the new student intake for its American accredited masters and doctoral programmes will start their studies at the CEU’s new campus in Vienna, read more details HERE.

According to the US embassy statement, Ambassador David Cornstein said:

“CEU remains a priority for the U.S. Government and has overwhelming bipartisan support in the United States.”

“I understand CEU’s position — prolonged uncertainty is not sustainable for an academic institution. However, a solution is still possible. There is a small window to resolve this, but it needs to happen fast. I am working with both parties to continue the negotiations and find an acceptable resolution before December 1,” the statement added.

October 25, 2018

CEU: Move to Vienna if no solution found to impasse by Dec 1

Michael Ignatieff, the CEU’s president and rector, told a news conference in Budapest on Thursday that the decision by the institution’s board of trustees will come into effect on December 1, though, he added, hopefully a solution to the stand-off was still possible to ensure that courses continue in Hungary.

But if a solution is not found, the CEU will move to Vienna “given we cannot continue to operate legally in Budapest,” he said.

Ignatieff said

the CEU had fulfilled the Hungarian government’s conditions, but the government did not want to sign the related international convention.

In response to the CEU press conference, government spokesman Zoltán Kovács branded Ignatieff’s statement as “a political bluff” on the part of US billionaire George Soros, the CEU’s founder and main benefactor. He said the CEU “will continue to operate in Hungary today, and, in our opinion, in the future too.”

He said

the government “does not respond to political bluffs”.

Asked about any future negotiations between the government and CEU, he said the CEU should deal with the facts of the matter “which have been made clear to them a thousand times”.

“The university very well knows what the Hungarian regulations are, but instead of actually complying with them, their response is political bluster,” the spokesman said.

At the CEU’s news conference Ignatieff said that

students who have already begun their studies in Budapest will finish them here, and as much education and research as possible would remain in the Hungarian capital.

Ignatieff said the CEU had fulfilled the conditions set by the Hungarian government and that a Hungarian examination had found that expectations had been met. Further, as far as the CEU’s accreditation in the United States is concerned, the university has met its obligations, he added. A few weeks ago, however, the American ambassador signalled that the Hungarian government does not want to sign the related international convention, he added.

The rector said

the CEU wanted to comply with Hungarian laws and remain in Budapest.

In response to a question, he said Soros had attended a board meeting on the potential move to Vienna. He said the CEU “respects and admires” Soros and thanks him for his support but it would be against the university’s basic rules to take instructions from him, he added.

Last week, the university’s leadership met Hungarian officials but they failed to reach a satisfactory outcome. The CEU would welcome further talks but wants its academic freedom as a US institution operating in Hungary to be recognised, the rector said.

Ignatieff added that

the US Congress also underlined the importance of the CEU remaining in Hungary.

He noted that the European Commission and the European Court had been asked to assess “Lex CEU” in light of the university’s position that the law raises concerns about constitutionality. No response has been received so far, he said, adding that the CEU hopes the Hungarian government would respects any future ruling that protects the CEU. At the same time, the university cannot wait for such a decision and must take further steps, he added.

Ignatieff said the Vienna campus has been preparing to open for several months. This will go ahead even if the CEU can retain its freedoms in Hungary, he said.

Vice Rector Liviu Matei said that around two thousand people would be affected by a possible move.

Vice Rector in charge of Hungarian affairs Zsolt Erdei said the CEU’s activities were supported by the representatives of international academic life and by the Hungarian people. The university still believes that relations between the CEU and the government can be resolved, he added.

Photo: ceu.edu

October 25, 2018

Hungarian government to expand home purchase subsidies – Regular press briefing

The government has decided to raise the home purchase subsidies (CSOK) available for families raising two children to 10 million forints (EUR 31,000), the head of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday at a regular press briefing.

CSOK

Earlier the HUF 10m loans were available only to families with three or more children.

The credit limit for families with three children will be raised to 15 million forints (46,500 euros), Gergely Gulyás said.

The funds freed when the government decided to phase out state subsidies to home savings accounts earlier this month will be regrouped to support the CSOK system, Gulyás said.

The government aims to implement the new regulations this year, Gulyás said.

Further measures regarding family home subsidies will be decided after the government’s planned national consultation survey on the subject. Decisions on the survey will be announced later this week, Gulyás said.

The government is mulling extending the preferential 5 percent VAT on home purchases, which was set to conclude by the end of the year, Gulyas said.

Meanwhile, Gulyás announced that

Budapest will have four central hospitals instead of the three planned earlier.

The four main hospitals will be the Honvédkórház, the Szent János Hospital, an integrated institution comprising the Szent Laszló and Szent István hospitals, as well as a new hospital being built in south Buda.

Gulyás also announced that the government will revise the system of culture subsidies paid as corporate tax into the central budget, commonly dubbed “tao”. The current system has led to “a major abuse of loopholes”, Gulyas said. The government does not intend to cut the current tao funding allocated for culture, which was around 35 billion forints, Gulyas said. Rather, it aims for a transparent grants system overseen by the culture ministry, he said.

The tao funding will not be distributed based on political considerations, “although it will doubtless lead to political debates”, Gulyas said.

Gulyás rejected reports that spectators were bussed in to see Prime Minister Viktor Orbán deliver his speech on the October 23 national holiday on Tuesday. “The proliferation of fake news regarding the issue is due to the fact that government commemorations draw about ten times as many viewers as opposition events do,” he said.

Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács noted that the heightened security measures at the commemoration were in line with the usual procedures at events attended by high-level politicians.

As we wrote a week ago, the Hungarian parliament voted to phase out the state subsidy on deposits with home savings banks, read more HERE.

Government steps up border control in South Hungary

Gergely Gulyás, citing interior ministry information, said the migrants were some 70kms south of the country. Hungary has offered Croatia help in handling the migrants, he added.

Meanwhile, he said national immigration and citizenship office will be renamed the office in charge of foreign nationals “to reflect the wish of Hungarian voters that the country should not become a migrant destination”. The structure of the authority will not change but “renaming it sends a clear message that migration is a law enforcement issue”, he added.

On the topic of Hungary-Ukraine ties, Gulyás said the government strove for good neighbourly relations but “this is not possible if prospects and opportunities for Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarians narrow rather than expand”. He said it was regrettable that Ukraine was using the “Hungarian card” in its election campaign. Hungary will “speak up for Transcarpathia Hungarians” in all possible forums, he added.

Asked about the government’s rejection of plan to appoint a European prosecutor, Gulyás said the initiative would “curb national sovereignty”.

Concerning Budapest’s Central European University, Gulyás said, “We consider any threats or offers by the CEU as political bluff by George Soros”.

The government cannot be blamed if the CEU decides to open an campus in Vienna “to issue degrees”,

he said, noting that the law on higher education contains provisions for issuing joint degrees such as Hungarian-American ones.

On the topic of health care, Gulyas said “health care is not a business”. “Public health services must be guaranteed to all taxpayers and pensioners”. He added, however, that the government has “never restricted anyone’s right to buy a supplementary health insurance policy or to buy private health-care services”.

Answering a question about reports of planned layoffs of 17-18 percent of public sector employees, Gulyas said he had briefed union heads about the plans amid a “very constructive atmosphere”. He said 10 percent of the jobs in question would be scrapped and actual lay-offs would not exceed 10 percent. “This is in line the government’s position that there should be no blanket layoffs.” He added those retaining their positions would benefit from an average 30 percent pay rise on Jan. 1.

Government mulls appeal of ICSID voucher decision

Hungary’s government is weighing legal redress in the matter of a decision by the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) awarding compensation to French voucher company Le Cheque Dejeuner, Gulyás said.

“We are examining the possibilities of legal appeal,” Gulyás said when asked to comment on the ICSID’s decision.

The former Socialist government “made a mistake” when they gave a French company the opportunity to profit from Hungarians’ recreation and vacations, he added.

Hungary rolled out a unified national voucher system in 2011, effectively squeezing out existing market players. In 2016, the European Court of Justice ruled that the voucher system violated key European Union tenets, discriminating against or restricting the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services.

October 25, 2018

Opposition parties submit education bill aiming for fairer system

The Socialist and Párbeszéd parties have submitted to parliament an education bill which aims for a fairer system, with the involvement of other opposition parties and civil organisations.

Hungary’s education system “is in crisis”, Socialist MP Ágnes Kunhalmi said. The number of functionally illiterate school-leavers is rising and teacher shortages are getting to be an acute problem, she added.

“Middle-class families are rescuing their children from the public education system,” Kunhalmi insisted. “Vocational training isn’t going anywhere,” she added.

The draft prepared in January by two teacher movements signed by nine parties and non-parliamentary organisations has been submitted in form of a decree proposal, Kunhalmi said.

Párbeszéd MP Bence Tordai said the bill put the principle of student equality at its heart.

“We want every student to have the opportunity to earn qualifications based on their performance and skills, irrespective of their family background,” he said.

Among the proposed measures are uniform school-leaving exams in secondary schools and ensuring that students gain equal access to higher education. It also proposes ideological neutrality in education and urges eliminating segregation in schools, Tordai said.

Featured image: MTI

October 24, 2018

CEU prepares to move to Vienna?

After the declaration back in May that the Central European University (CEU) intends to stay in Budapest, it seems like times have changed since then. This past Friday, Michael Ignatieff, the rector of the Central European University, has informed both students and teachers of the institution that, although they would still like to remain in Budapest, if they cannot get to an agreement with the government, they will have no choice but to move to Austria – reports 444.hu.

“Should the situation in Hungary stay unresolved, we will start all our programmes on a new Vienna campus, for which the necessary permissions are being filed, with the help of the assigned American board of education (Middle State Commission on Higher Education).”

On the other hand, students and teachers have also been reassured that CEU would continue the taught programmes as well as all their scientific work no matter what. They added that all their programmes will be offered, come September 2019.

However, Ignatieff emphasised that the necessary funds are at their disposal for operating the university in Vienna, no matter which scenario might come into effect.

If the university really has to move to Vienna, the students that had started their courses in the Hungarian capital can rest assured that they will be able to finish their studies in the same city in the 2019/2020 school year. The move to Vienna will only affect new students.

*Michael Ignatieff, rector-president of the Central European University (CEU).*
*MTI Photo: Zoltán Balogh*

Although the plans to move to Vienna are not final yet, the most important steps, such as securing a place for teaching, and the necessary accreditation, are close to being finalised.

There are plans to hire a new project manager for Vienna who keeps contact with all departments and organisational units and prepares a plan for the possibility of moving remaining the only option. If CEU ends up remaining in Budapest, then it will be the task of this new project manager to deal with everything related to the two Bachelor’s courses and the one Master’s programme to be launched in Vienna in 2020, along with all the other courses offered on the new campus that do not promise a paper at the end.

The New York State Education Department has provided proof that the university offers courses registered by the state of New York. This document has been witnessed by the Hungarian minister of education at the time, László Palkovics. However, the Hungarian government has so far refused to sign the documents allowing CEU’s operation in Budapest, despite the fact that

the university managed to comply with the conditions set out in last year’s law.

Nevertheless, Péter Szijjártó, when asked about this, pretended he had no idea what this agreement was that the government should be signing.

Tibor Navracsics, EU commissioner responsible for education, revealed in an interview on Friday that one of his goals is ensuring that CEU remains in Budapest and that he hopes the institute will be able to cooperate with the government.

For more news, check out this article about the percentage of foreigners coming to study in Hungary.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/CentralEuropeanUniversity

October 8, 2018

The Guardian: Hungarian universities under state control

According to Lesley Wilson, secretary general of the European University Association, the Hungarian government’s tendency to interfere with higher education should be a wake-up call for citizens.

We have already written about the ban on gender studies that the Hungarian government initiated in August. Also, we have previously shared that foreign papers see worrying tendencies in the Hungarian political life, including The Guardian’s concerns about the breach in Hungarian media freedom and the OSCE’s critical analyses about the elections in April.

Now the secretary general of the European University Association has shared these views about Hungary in an article in The Guardian. The writer expressed how dangerous it is to let the government interfere with higher education matters.

The recent ban on gender studies, allegedly because there are not enough students is in reality part of an ideological battle rather than a practical issue.

The fact that gender studies graduates do find employment can be confirmed by statistics prepared by CEU (Central European University), the university which has been formerly attacked by the Hungarian government. It is also disturbing that due to the „anti-immigration tax” organisations and universities have to stop any activities that are related to migration. Naturally, this applies to research and university courses, as well as to education programs for refugees.

The government’s move to close down certain departments and programs is unsettling because the increased state control over higher education leads to control over the civil society.

Although there have been several examples for such state pressure in Turkey and Russia, nothing even similar to this has happened inside the EU. The European Parliament will examine and vote on the Sargentini report later this month to determine whether Hungary has complied with the values that the EU is laid on.

Besides academic freedom and civil society, the EU partnership of Hungary is at stake.

With the overall reclamation of populism throughout the whole continent, the damage that the Hungarian government makes will have consequences far beyond the country’s reputation. It can lead to a continent-wide tendency that would tear the EU apart.

Featured image: www.ceu.edu

September 10, 2018

LMP protests government’s plan to ban gender studies in higher education

It is up to academics to decide whether gender studies have a place in Hungary’s higher education, a leader of the opposition LMP party told a press conference on Monday.

Máté Kanász-Nagy, secretary of the national board, said that the government’s latest plan to ban gender courses “is another step in its war against science and education”. He said that while the government had narrowed access to free higher education, it also “imposed” government-appointed financial managers on colleges and universities so that “it can prevent any course or research citing financial reasons”.

Kanász-Nagy also insisted that “no faculty has been banned for political reasons since the political regime change” of 1989.

“It follows that from now on there is no autonomy, freedom, or rule of law in higher education”.

Referring to the human resources ministry’s claims that young academics majoring in gender studies were not needed on the labour market, Kanász-Nagy said that all graduates have found employment.

Kanász-Nagy added that his party would appeal to the ombudsman over the matter.

August 13, 2018

Courses of Indiana’s Notre Dame University to be held in Hungary

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Eric Holcomb, the governor of the US state of Indiana, signed an inter-state agreement allowing courses of the state’s Notre Dame University to be held in Hungary.

Under the Hungarian law on higher education, foreign university courses are tied to an agreement between Hungary and the university’s home state.

Notre Dame will cooperate with Hungary’s Pázmány Péter University to offer courses in chemical and civil engineering as well as mechatronics, Szijjártó told MTI by phone. The Pázmány University will offer a Vatican-approved course on sustainable development in Indiana, he said. The agreement will expand the two universities’ cooperation which so far involved small-scale programmes and lecturer exchanges, he said.

Engineering courses by prestigious institutions such as Notre Dame, which ranks 150th among the world’s universities, will add to the quality of higher education in Hungary, which in turn will define the country’s competitiveness in years to come, Szijjártó said.

As we wrote before, the Central European University (CEU) board of trustees has authorised the university to open recruitment for the 2019-2020 academic year in line with the regular recruitment schedule in Budapest, read more HERE.

As we wrote last week, Debrecen Summer University opened for its 91st year , with 183 students from 37 countries attending with the purpose of studying Hungarian as a foreign language and learning about Hungarian culture and history. Read more HERE.

Photo: MTI

July 26, 2018

Another American university to launch degree courses in Hungary

Indiana’s University of Notre Dame has signed a deal with Pázmány Péter Catholic University to launch degree courses in Hungary starting September 2019, Hungary’s foreign minister said in New York on Friday.

Under the agreement, Pázmány University will launch its own programme — also accredited in the Vatican — at the University of Notre Dame, Péter Szijjártó told MTI.

The two institutions are still in the process of finalising their deal, the minister said.

Szijjártó noted that under Hungary’s amended higher education law, the Hungarian government and the state of Indiana will have to sign an interstate agreement allowing the University of Notre Dame to provide educational activities in Hungary. He added that he will discuss the matter with Indiana’s commerce secretary later on Friday.

The interstate deal will be incorporated into an economic and trade cooperation pact signed between Hungary and Indiana last year, Szijjártó said.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/every-eighth-university-student-comes-from-abroad-in-hungary/” type=”big” color=”orange” newwindow=”yes”] EVERY EIGHTH UNIVERSITY STUDENT COMES FROM ABROAD IN HUNGARY[/button]

He said that

since the Hungarian government and Indiana’s leadership were “on the same page” regarding the agreement, talks were expected to proceed quickly and it was unlikely that anything would get in the way of the University of Notre Dame starting its programmes next year.

As we wrote few weeks ago, The Central European University (CEU) board of trustees has authorised the university to open recruitment for the 2019-2020 academic year in line with the regular recruitment schedule in Budapest, read more HERE.

Photo: facebook.com/notredame

July 13, 2018

CEU can start recruitment of students in Budapest for 2019-20 academic year

The Central European University (CEU) board of trustees has authorised the university to open recruitment for the 2019-2020 academic year in line with the regular recruitment schedule in Budapest, the university said on Tuesday.

Recruitment for the next academic year has opened, taking into consideration that the university has fulfilled the obligations set out in Hungary’s law on higher education and despite “the Hungarian government’s continuing refusal to bring the lex CEU matter to a conclusion,” the university said in a statement.

An official letter from a representative of the New York State Education Office published on Tuesday confirms that CEU carries out educational activities in New York State, as a result of which it meets the requirements of the Hungarian law dubbed lex CEU, the university said.

The CEU board has approved extending and developing the university’s educational programme in New York, it added.

The CEU board decided this March to set up an additional campus in Vienna. The board meeting held last weekend approved the rental of an appropriate location for educational activities in Vienna and the start of enrolments for 2019 there, the statement said.

CEU said in mid-May that it believes it is in “full compliance” with a new rule requiring foreign universities in Hungary to operate a campus in the country in which they are based. Rector Michael Ignatieff urged Hungary’s government to sign an agreement with the State of New York “without further delay” to allow CEU to comply with another requirement of the legislation.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/CentralEuropeanUniversity

June 26, 2018

Hungarian educational system at a dead end

Thousands of students are left without diplomas because they could not get their foreign language certificates, 24.hu reports. Is there no way out of this situation?

Another sad statistics arrived regarding the Hungarian educational system: at the beginning of June we already have 91,595 students who passed their final examination but still cannot get their university degree because they do not have the required language certificates. Just last year more than ten thousand diplomas were given to students who finished their studies in the previous years but only now got the language certificates.

Since 2011, language certificates became a prerequisite to any higher level education degree. It was obvious even then that many-many students will not get the degrees they worked so hard for after finishing their studies. At the end of 2013, an initiative was started to help those who finished their studies but could not receive their diplomas because they lacked the required language certificates.

[button link=”#https://dailynewshungary.com/students-demonstrate-better-education-hungary/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Students demonstrate for better education in Hungary[/button]

There are almost a hundred thousand students who do not get their diplomas this year, and this number is way too big. Since 2006, almost 50 thousand students did not get their diplomas, which means that the number of students finishing their studies without a language certificate has grown drastically. It is not a surprise that the government decided to restart the initiative using different criteria. This new initiative will be able to help 1333 students, using 400 million Ft (1,241,000 euros) allocated to this cause.

The country can give 300,000 Ft (930 euros) in financial support to the students in the program. They have until March 31st, 2020 to present their language certificates. If they cannot, then they have to pay back the entire amount. The previous program helped 6499 students to hold their diplomas in their own hands finally.

What is the government’s goal with all this?

Even with this initiative, the situation still looks rather intimidating, especially since from 2020 on, students will need at least two language certificates to even apply to a higher education institution. They would need one certificate to prove they are a proficient user of a language (level C exam) and a level B2 exam in another language, proving they are an independent user in that second language.

According to these statistics it seems like this step might not have a well-founded justification. Since 2009 less and less students take language exams, both in the 14-19 age group and in the 20-24 age group. 42 thousand high school student took a language exam in 2009 and only 36 thousand in 2017. The situation is not any better among university students either: there were 34 thousand 20-24 year-old students who tried to pass a language exam in 2009, and only 23 thousand in 2017.

It is obvious that the closer the time comes when they cannot even apply to a higher education institution without a language certificate, the less student even try to obtain one. This might have been the reason for these changes from the very beginning.

László Parragh, the president of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that they do not need everybody to get a university degree.

8 years ago almost 370 thousand students were enrolled in higher education, in 2017 this number fell to 287 thousand.

László Székely ombudsman said that most students could not get the necessary knowledge at school to take a language exam. The situation is even worse because Hungary has the most significant number of young people who do not want to learn another foreign language. Research shows that 72 percent of Hungarian students can read and write in one, at best two languages, including their mother tongue. And it looks like they do not want to learn any more. 49 percent said that they are happy only speaking their mother tongue.

But why should this come as a surprise when most government officials in Hungary do not have any language certificates either?

June 17, 2018

LMP: ‘Hounding CEU out of Hungary like book-burning’

The government is trying to hound the Central European University (CEU) out of Hungary, green opposition lawmaker Szabolcs Szabó said, likening the government’s alleged efforts to “book-burning”.

Szabó, who is sitting in the LMP parliamentary group, criticised the cabinet for not making its position clear about whether the operation of the CEU now fulfils all legal requirements or not.

Referring to Hungarian law that requires foreign universities to maintain a campus in their home country, he said a government delegation had assessed a campus which is home to the CEU’s educational activities in the US two months ago.

Plans in higher education need to be made for the long term, yet it is still unknown whether the CEU will be able to enroll students for the 2019-2020 academic year, Szabó said.

The government is setting these conditions because it wants CEU to leave Hungary, he insisted.

CEU said in May that it believes it is in “full compliance” with a new rule requiring foreign universities in Hungary to operate a campus in the country in which they are based.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/CentralEuropeanUniversity

June 13, 2018

Opposition calls on government to sign CEU agreement

The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on the government to sign the agreement enabling the Central European University (CEU) to continue its operations in Budapest.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country last year, requiring foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate on the basis of an interstate agreement and to run a campus in the country in which they are based.

Gergely Arató, DK’s education spokesman, told a news conference on Monday that the agreement to be signed between the State of New York and the Hungarian government that would create the “otherwise completely unnecessary” legal conditions for CEU’s continued operations has been on the government’s table since September.

Arató said it was already clear last April when the higher education law was changed that the amendment had only been introduced to “make things harder on” CEU.

And the Venice Commission’s report on the law made it clear that the legislation was unfair and violated international law, he added.

CEU, founded by US billionaire George Soros, has said that the amended legislation would make its continued operations in Budapest impossible. The university has complained that it was targeted by the amendment because it has no campus in the United States.

Last autumn, CEU said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York.

Last month, CEU signalled its intent to remain in Budapest after the Open Society Foundations (OSF), also financed by Soros, announced plans to move its headquarters to Berlin.

Arató said if CEU moved its operations to Vienna, those who would lose out on the university’s departure would not be CEU or Soros, but rather Hungarian students and professors and the Hungarian higher education system.

Featured image: www.ceu.edu

June 11, 2018

CEU’s future still unclear, says LMP official

The opposition LMP party on Friday criticised the government for what it called the unclear future of the Central European University (CEU) in Hungary.

MP Péter Ungár noted that a three-member delegation had visited New York State over a month ago to examine if the university had a campus and courses there but the foreign minister had still failed to pass a decision on the matter.

The lawmaker said that

it would serve national interests if the university continued to operate in Budapest.

Parliament approved amendments to the higher education act in spring 2017 that require foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement and have a campus in the country in which they are based.

CEU complained that it was targeted by the amended legislation because it had no campus in the United States.

In the autumn, however, the university said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York.

As we wrote on April, Vienna signed an agreement recently with Central European University about establishing a new campus. According to the document, a historic building will be rented by CEU for 99 years. The private university established by George Soros also pledged to preserve the building in its current proper status. Read more HERE.

May 26, 2018

Hungary censured by European Parliament’s education committee

The European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) has made several serious criticisms regarding the situation in Hungary.

Members of the committee on Wednesday voted 13:4 to approve the opinion which stated that it was regrettable the dispute between the European Commission and the Hungarian government regarding Hungary’s higher education law had not been resolved to date.

Hungary, it noted, has the right to its own education laws but these must not conflict with freedom rights of the internal market.

The committee put the matter of Hungary’s higher education law on the agenda in March in connection with a report on Hungary being drawn up by the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). The CULT opinion will be included in the LIBE report.

The committee said the protracted case of the Central European University (CEU) and the agreement regarding the university’s operations was problematic. It called on the government to sign the agreement since the CEU had fulfilled the prescribed conditions.

Meanwhile, the committee said the European Commission had not been careful enough in its examination of the 2010 Hungarian media law.

It cited rules on cross-ownership which, it said, caused distortions and imbalances in the media market.

Ownership concentration has intensified on the Hungarian media market and many independent local broadcasters and television stations have disappeared, it said, adding that the public service broadcaster generally spread government messages uncritically.

Spending on public advertisements favours certain companies at the expense of others, while government spending on adverts tends to be directed towards government-dominated and “oligarch-controlled” media outlets, it said.

The committee also expressed concerns about the situation of freedom and diversity of the press, as well as the narrowing space for civil society organisations.

It also said forms of everyday discrimination against Roma were numerous and segregation of Roma children in schools was systemic.

Given the situation in higher education, discrimination against Roma, problems with press freedom and the situation of NGOs, there is a clear risk of serious violations of EU values, justifying the launch of Article 7 of the EU treaty, the committee said.

Andrea Bocskor, an MEP for ruling Fidesz, responded as saying that the committee’s critical remarks are unfounded and the assessment is politically biased.

“The members of the committee have completely disregarded objective facts and the actual situation; they have in fact decided in advance that Hungary must be punished and pillorised,” she said.

Bocskor said that “by threatening Hungary with a procedure under Article 7, the political left obviously wants to put pressure on the Hungarian government, force it to compromise on its policies, yield to the will of the Brussels mainstream and sacrifice the country on the altar of the ‘open society’ concept”.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/EuropeanParliament

May 16, 2018

Hungary authorities did not accredit “offshore” CEU

The Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB) has not accredited the “offshore university (CEU)”, which issues American diplomas but the Közép-Európai Egyetem, which operates in compliance with Hungarian law, the ministry of human resources said on Thursday in reaction to press reports.

A review is still underway as to whether the CEU, “which counts as offshore”, will continue instruction in its native country, the ministry said. “The law applies to all universities; to the Soros-university, too,” it added.

CEU issued a statement on the accreditation earlier Thursday.

“Central European University is pleased to announce that the university’s Hungarian legal entity (Közép-Európai Egyetem) was reaccredited by the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (MAB) following a review, which takes place every five years,” CEU said.

Parliament approved amendments to the higher education act last spring that require foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement and to have a campus in the country in which they are based. CEU, which is based in Budapest but accredited by the State of New York, complained that it was targeted by the amended legislation because it has no campus in the United States. In the autumn, CEU said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York.

featured image: ceu.edu

March 2, 2018

Amnesty International criticises Hungarian government for 2017 human rights record

Hungary’s government once again “cannot be proud” of its human rights record, according to human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) annual report for 2017 released on Thursday morning.

Hungary’s “performance” in preserving human rights has in certain areas deteriorated “even compared to 2016”, AI Hungary head Júlia Iván told a press conference on Thursday.

The report found that the particularly problematic areas are “severe breaches of law against asylum-seekers and migrants, the higher education law harming academic freedom and the persecution and restriction of NGOs.”

In the report, AI wrote: “Hungary reached a new low by passing legislation allowing pushbacks of all people found in an irregular situation in the country and by introducing the automatic detention of asylum-seekers, in blatant breach of EU law.”

February 22, 2018