higher education law

Survey: Hungarian university students study less, work more to get by

A lot of Hungarian university students need to work up to 8 hours a day just to get by, reports Eduline.hu. How do they manage? Why do all these students need to prioritise work instead of school? Here is why.

According to recent findings from a Eurostudent survey, every third Hungarian university student maintains a job throughout her/his university career (working during the semester, during the exam period and breaks as well).

60% of the Hungarian university students work just to get by: pay the rent, pay the bills and buy food. Every second participant said that they would not be able to attend university if they did not work at the same time.

18% of students reported that they work to support their family: their parents or their own children.

How much students work

Only 18% of the participants said that they work a maximum of 20 hours a week (4 hours a day). 34% reported working much more than that. They frequently have to work 6 or 8 hours a day.

Why is this a problem?

Students who reported to work more than 20 hours a week also reported to trying to minimise the amount of time spent with studying and preparing for classes to be able to work more shifts. Students cannot attend lectures, and sometimes they make arrangements with the professors to skip seminars too for extra homework so that they can go to work.

Tibor Gulyás, president of The National Union of Students in Hungary (HÖOK) said:

“There is nothing wrong with students working if they decide to get jobs to gain experience in their field so that it will be easier for them to find future employment. However, the majority of Hungarian students start working because they are in a pretty bad financial situation, and they would not be able to go to school otherwise … It is important that students actually attend the courses because it matters in terms of the quality of training and education they get, as well as the quality of their degree.”

Findings of Eurostudent’s survey reveal that only half of the participating students were working in a field that was related to their studies.

How could this be fixed?

Educational grants and scholarships have not been raised since 2007 in Hungary.

A regular student gets HUF 15,000 a month on average in the form of a scholarship. You do the math. Even orphans or students with serious disabilities get only HUF 23,800 a month. It is impossible to get by relying solely on the scholarship provided by the Hungarian government.

Acording to HÖOK’s calculations, scholarships and grants need to be raised by at least 40%.

The Hungarian government has been notified about these issues repeatedly, but no significant changes happened so far.

Featured image: www.semmelweis.hu

February 9, 2018

European Commission steps up infringement of Hungary over laws

The European Commission is stepping up infringement procedures against Hungary concerning three areas: EU migrant quotas, the transparency of foreign-funded NGOs and higher education.

The EC said on Thursday that it will refer Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) over the three related laws.

It referred Hungary to the European court for failing to comply with a temporary emergency relocation scheme for refugees, stating that “Hungary has not taken any action at all since the relocation scheme started”.

The EC also referred the Czech Republic and Poland to the court over non-compliance on the matter. It launched infringement procedures against the three countries on the issue in June and took the process to the next level in July.

Hungary and Slovakia earlier challenged the scheme in the CJEU, but the court rejected their request to annul the decision by the Council of the European Union on the mandatory relocation of asylum seekers.

The EC also decided to refer Hungary to the Court of Justice over legislation on foreign-funded NGOs which “indirectly discriminates and disproportionately restricts donations from abroad to civil society organisations”.

“The Commission is also of the opinion that Hungary violates the right to freedom of association and the rights to protection of private life and personal data enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, read in conjunction with the EU Treaty provisions on the free movement of capital,” it added.

The EC launched an infringement procedure against Hungary over the law in August and stepped up the procedure with the issue of a “reasoned opinion” in October.

The EC said Hungary had failed to reply to the reasoned opinion by the one-month deadline and had not taken steps to amend or repeal the contested provisions in the NGO law.

The legislation on NGOs requires full disclosure of foreign funding over 7.2 million forints (EUR 23,400) a year.

Further, the EC has referred Hungary to the EU court over amendments to the country’s higher education act.

The amended legislation “disproportionally restricts EU and non-EU universities in their operations and needs to be brought back in line with EU law”, it said.

Last April, the EC launched the infringement procedure against Hungary over the amendments which 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. It stepped up the procedure by sending the country a “reasoned opinion” on the matter in July, and it requested additional clarification in October.

Hungary has “maintained its position” on the law and has not brought it in line with EU legislation, the EC said.

The EC argued that the amended legislation violates the freedom to provide services, the freedom of establishment, the directive on services in the internal market, academic freedom rights, the right to education and the freedom to conduct a business as provided by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.

A statement by the ruling Fidesz party said “Brussels has launched a volley of bullets at Hungary” and the EU “is now openly using legal procedures as instruments of political blackmail and pressure”. Fidesz said the “attacks” were due to “Hungary obstructing the Soros plan”. Fidesz has also called on the government to “do everything to protect the Hungarian people and their national interests”.

December 7, 2017

Hungary, China sign interstate deal to keep Chinese university in Budapest

Hungary and China on Monday signed an interstate agreement to ensure the continued operations of the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine in Budapest under Hungary’s amended higher education law.

Speaking at a press conference after the signing ceremony, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said cooperation between Hungary and China was “better than ever” with education being one of the most important pillars of the two countries’ relations.

The minister noted that the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine was the second higher education institution whose future in Hungary had been secured under the new higher education law

after McDaniel College of the US State of Maryland. This proves that the criteria laid down in the higher education law can be met, he said.

Szijjártó said there were a total of five universities in Hungary whose home countries needed to sign interstate agreements with Hungary in order to secure their continued operations in the country.

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

The minister called the agreement a milestone in Hungarian-Chinese educational cooperation.

Szijjártó noted that the 50-year-old Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine has had a school at Budapest’s Semmelweis University since 2010.

He also noted that in May, Hungary and China elevated their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest rank in China’s diplomatic relations. Hungary’s interest lies in upholding this tight cooperation with one of the world’s strongest economies, Szijjártó said.

The minister said that

Chinese language learning was available at all levels of Hungary’s education system, noting that Hungary is home to the regional centre of Confucius Institutes as well as the highest number of such institutes in the region.

Asked about the progression of intergovernmental talks concerning the remaining foreign universities in Hungary, Szijjártó said Hungary would sign agreements with the states in which those institutions are based once all matters are agreed upon. He expressed hope that an agreement would eventually be reached on the future of Budapest’s Central European University as well.

Xu Mei, head of the Provincial Education Commission of China’s Heilongjiang province, attributed the significance of the agreement to Hungarian-Chinese relations being based on cultural and educational cooperation.

Photo: MTI

October 30, 2017

Hungarian government: US ambassador needed – Weekly press briefing

The government has managed to carry out its farmland sales scheme dubbed Land to Farmers in a way that the Constitutional Court has declared lawful and constitutional, government office chief János Lázár said on Thursday. US-Hungary ties would be greatly helped if America appointed an ambassador to Hungary, he said.

Speaking at his weekly press briefing, Lázár said US charge d’affaires David Kostelancik’s recent remarks concerning press freedom in Hungary were “a lot of nonsense”.

“More US diplomats who speak Hungarian are needed,” Lázár said,

insisting that “if they spoke our language they would see that hundreds of articles criticising the government are published daily.” He added it was “far from the case2 that criticism of the government was missing from the Hungarian press.

Soros has ensured financing for his plan

US billionaire George Soros has guaranteed the conditions for financing his plan to import migrants into Europe, having donated a large portion of his wealth to his foundations, Lázár said on Thursday.

Lázár said:

“This money will be put to work everywhere in the whole of Europe, and it will support those civil communities and parties that want to open up Europe’s borders and that want to organise immigration.”

He said central European countries were being weighed down by huge pressures due to immigration, referring to the European Parliament Committee on Home Affairs, Citizenship and Justice’s (LIBE) decision to approve a draft text on modifying the Dublin Regulation. The reforms are aimed at speeding up asylum procedures and ensuring a more equal distribution of the burden of migration among member states. Lazar said the decision would open up the possibility for a permanent mechanism for distributing migrants.

Time for CEU to ‘make up its mind’

It is time for Budapest’s Central European University (CEU) to “make up its mind about what it wants done” in connection with Hungary’s higher education law,

the government office chief said.

Lázár said the CEU had “spent the whole summer” asking for the deadline for foreign universities to comply with the higher education law to be extended, but when parliament extended it “we are once again seeing political protests”.

“This isn’t fair,” Lázár said.

Lawmakers amended Hungary’s higher education law to extend the deadline for foreign universities and colleges operating in the country to meet the law’s criteria to January 1, 2019.

The government expects everyone to meet the law’s criteria within the allotted time, Lázár said.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country in the spring, 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.

The CEU has said that the latest amendment would prolong the state of uncertainty over its future and urged the government to sign an agreement with the State of New York to guarantee its future in Hungary.

Farmland sales scheme constitutional

Lázár noted that the scheme involved the sale of 200,000 hectares of farmland to 30,000 farmers and generated 270 billion forints (EUR 875.6m) in budget revenue.

The top court’s ruling has made it clear that all contracts in connection with the scheme were signed lawfully.

He said the court had also ruled that regulations must be set down on how revenues from the farmland sales could be spent. In addition, the court also declared the sale of land classified as “Natura2000” legal, but specified that the protection of their wildlife must continue to be upheld.

The court said that the protections must be written into law.

Benedek R Sallai of green opposition LMP and 51 opposition lawmakers had turned to the top court because they believed the government had introduced dubious measures retroactively in order to legalise the sale of state-owned land. The court on Tuesday said that some rules governing National Land Fund assets breach Hungary’s fundamental law. Whereas it rejected LMP’s concerns, it found that the law failed to specify the portion of the Fund’s lands that could be sold to reduce the public debt. This opened up the risk that the government could substantially reduce the Fund’s assets, ultimately jeopardising its operation, the ruling said.

EC’s position removes all barriers to Paks upgrade

The European Commission has released its written position stating that Hungary’s Paks upgrade project meets all preconditions, Lázár told his weekly press conference, adding that “all barriers [to the investment] have now been removed”.

According to the commission’s position,

the construction of two new reactor blocks will be a profitable enterprise,

which “finally puts an end to the dispute” about whether the project is needed or not, Lázár said. “Those who were doubtful concerning the rationale of the project now have the commission’s response,” Lázár said. The commission says that the project meets all legal, technical and business requirements, he added.

October 19, 2017

Verhofstadt calls on Hungary authorities to sign CEU agreement

Instead of extending deadlines, Hungary should sign the agreement enabling the Central European University to continue its operations, liberal MEP Guy Verhofstadt said on Thursday.

The leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group called on leaders of EU member states to put pressure on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over the issue at the Brussels summit starting on Thursday.

The agreement is ready to be signed, Verhofstadt insisted.

“The Central European University has done all it can to comply with an invasive new Hungarian Higher Education Law;

New York State has negotiated an agreement with the Hungarian government which would allow the CEU to provide for education also in the US, as required by Prime Minister Orbán’s new law,” the statement said.

“Instead of signing this agreement, it seems Prime Minister Orbán now intends to prolong a legal deadline, which will drag out proceedings unnecessarily, a move which will have potentially detrimental consequences for the faculty, staff and students.”

“EU leaders must today speak out in order to put pressure on Mr Orbán to stop his prevarication, which represents a continued attack on academic freedom. There is no place in Europe for Prime Minister Orbán’s attacks on educational facilities .

This is about academic freedom, about safeguarding one of the best universities in the world — and safeguarding it in Budapest,” Verhofstadt said.

Lawmakers on Tuesday amended Hungary’s higher education law to extend the deadline for foreign universities and colleges operating in the country to meet the law’s criteria to January 1, 2019.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country in the spring, 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.

Photo: ceu.edu

October 19, 2017

Parliament extends deadline for foreign universities to comply with higher education law – UPDATE

Lawmakers on Tuesday amended Hungary’s higher education law to extend the deadline for foreign universities and colleges operating in the country to meet the law’s criteria to January 1, 2019.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country in the spring, 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.

Tuesday’s amendment, submitted by Justice Minister László Trócsányi, was approved with 118 votes in favour, 31 against and 1 abstention.

The bill’s reasoning stated that so far

Hungary has only signed an interstate agreement with the State of Maryland to ensure the continued operations of McDaniel College in Budapest.

Talks between the government and other higher education institutions are still ongoing.

The new deadline was proposed — in part based on recommendations made by the Venice Commission — in order to make it easier for foreign universities to comply with the law, the bill states.

Trócsányi said last week that the government stands by its position that Hungarian laws apply to everyone.

Budapest’s Central European University (CEU), founded by US financier George Soros, has said that the education law passed in the spring would make its continued operations in Budapest impossible.

Talks are ongoing between the government and the State of New York to secure the future of the CEU in Hungary.

CEU reaction

At a press conference on Tuesday, CEU president Michael Ignatieff urged the government to sign an agreement with the State of New York, which he said had already been reached.

Ignatieff said that by having signed an agreement with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York, CEU now fully complied with Hungary’s higher education law.

He said the government was deliberately keeping the university in a state of uncertainty, arguing that this benefitted the government.

Ignatieff said the education commissioner of the State of New York had written a letter to the Hungarian prime minister saying that the agreement signed between the CEU and Bard College was in line with the founding documents of both institutions.

He said the fact that Hungary had already signed an agreement with the State of Maryland but not with the State of New York raised suspicions of discrimination on the part of the government, arguing that the two documents in question were nearly identical.

Photo: MTI

October 17, 2017

Orbán’s cabinet submits amendment to higher education law

The government has submitted an amendment to Hungary’s higher education law, aimed at extending the deadline for foreign universities to meet the law’s criteria, enacted in spring, by one year.

Justice Minister László Trócsányi told a press conference on Friday that despite “all pressure lacking any legal foundations” the government upholds its position that

“Hungarian laws apply to all, even to the US-based Central European University” (CEU).

Trócsányi said that the conditions defined in the law’s spring amendment were “predictable, clear and easy to meet”. In spring, parliament set a deadline of January 1, 2018 for subject universities to meet the criteria.

If parliament approves the proposed amendment, the deadline for meeting the law’s criteria will be January 1, 2019, he said.

Hungarian lawmakers approved amendments to the higher education act in the 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 in the spring that it was targeted by the amended legislation because it has no campus in the United States. Early in October,

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

Negotiations between the State of New York and the government of Hungary “have created the basis for an agreement”, it added.

The Hungarian government and the State of Maryland have already reached an agreement on cooperation in the field of higher education that will bring the local campus of McDaniel College in line with the amended rules.

The agreement was reached “recognizing the benefits each of the two countries may gain as a result of strengthening bilateral cooperation in accordance with the rules and regulations applied in each country”.

Trócsányi noted that the agreement with McDaniel College had been published in the latest issue of the official gazette Magyar Közlöny and said other institutions of higher education had been able to comply with the new rules before the original deadline, too.

The original deadline was sufficient for institutions of higher education “that sought an agreement in earnest rather than unnecessary political debate and conflict”, he said.

Talks are still ongoing with other institutions, among them CEU, he added.

The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure against Hungary over the amendments to the higher education act because it believes the legislation runs counter to the right of academic freedom, the right to education and the freedom to conduct a business, as set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. Hungary has responded to the EC, but the EU’s executive body has asked for further clarification over concerns about the non-compatibility of the legislation with the EU’s obligations under international trade law.

The CEU reacted saying that the government’s amendment proposal would prolong the state of uncertainty over the university’s future.

“The CEU urges the Hungarian government to sign the agreement between Hungary and the State of New York as soon as possible and declares its commitment to comply with every legal requirement,” the university said in a statement. The CEU said it would defend its academic freedom and continue its operations “as a respected member of Hungarian and international academic life”.

It said the agreement that would secure its future was ready to be signed by the State of New York and the Hungarian government. The solution to the matter now rests in the hands of the government, they added.

The CEU noted that the Hungarian government had already signed an agreement with the State of Maryland to ensure the continued operations of McDaniel College in Budapest under Hungary’s amended higher education law.

The university said

it interpreted the lack of an agreement between the government and the State of New York as discrimination on the part of the government.

The extension of the deadline and the failure to sign an agreement “is a step back”, the CEU said, adding that its interests lay in moving forward.

Photo: MTI

October 13, 2017

Orbán: Brussels performing ‘Soros plan’

The “Brussels machinery” is performing US billionaire George Soros’s pro-migration plan, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview to public radio on Friday.

“Brussels has come under George Soros’s influence,” he said. The European Union wants to dismantle the border fence, let migrants enter the continent, distribute them among the member states and punish those who resist, the prime minister said.

The events in Brussels are unfolding exactly as Soros outlined, “it is a planned process”, Orbán said.

Hungary, however, is “not a country of fools” and one cannot “pretend as if everything was happening by accident”, he said.

“We have revealed the existence of the Soros plan, and the drafter himself admitted that it exists. We have placed it in the focus of politics,” Orbán said.

Commenting on the “national consultation” survey about the “Soros plan”, he said that if Hungary wants to defend its interests, all decision makers in Brussels should be aware that most Hungarian citizens are taking a stand for national interests.

Concerning the EU’s planned reforms, he said that while plans are being drawn up about the future of the EU, “the Schengen system is crumbling in our hands” and instead of defending the external borders, internal borders are being established. He cited a proposal in line with which member states should have the right to reintroduce border controls within Schengen for three years. Additionally, restrictions are being placed on the free movement of labour, he said.

Orbán called the infringement procedure launched against Hungary because of its law on foreign-financed NGOs a political affair. He added that

the related document had been drafted by the “Brussels bureaucrats” on political orders and they want to use legal means to force a political decision on Hungary.

“It is a subject of public ridicule everywhere in Europe …. A sensible lawyer would not even touch it,” he added.

The law stipulates that “when somebody gets money from abroad, they must admit this. Period. What does that violate?” Orbán asked.

The question is for how long Brussels would put up with “being the subject of public ridicule”, Orbán said. The entire EU is in trouble and European leaders have lost respect because the “Brussels bureaucrats” make such decisions, “insulting and abusing member states with such matters”, he added.

Commenting on the issue of the Central European University founded by Soros, he reiterated that laws must be respected by all, including billionaires, US-Hungarian dual citizens and the organisations they finance. The complicated issue at hand is currently discussed at expert level, he said.

Commenting on the European Parliament’s scrutiny of Hungarian development projects, he said

“a delegation from Brussels made a recent visit” and acknowledged that these projects had indeed been implemented and Hungary followed the line in every respect.

“What’s beyond that” is once again a political attack and “what it is clearly about is that the MEPs must keep themselves busy while we are protecting Europe for them”.

Orbán confirmed press reports that the prime ministers of the Visegrad Four countries would meet EC President Jean-Claude Juncker for “a friendly talk” on the eve of the next EU summit in Brussels, on October 18.

Orbán was also asked to comment on two issues affecting the rights of ethnic Hungarians to education in neighbouring Romania and Ukraine.

He expressed optimism concerning the future of a grammar school in Targu Mures/Marosvásarhely) in central Romania attended mostly by Hungarian students.

“We have made some advance towards keeping the school in operation,” he said, attributing the progress to “good personal relations” established with Liviu Dragnea, the leader of the ruling Social Democrats. “This seems to offer some hope for the future,” he said.

As far as Ukraine’s new education law is concerned, the situation is rather different, Orbán said in connection with new rules passed recently by Kiev which restrict post-primary-level education in minority languages.

The countries affected by the new law are now working to take coordinated action on the matter, he said.

“We do not intend to threaten Ukraine, all we want is to make that country understand that while it is ‘at war’, or more precisely ‘has border disputes’ with Russia, and is economically depressed, it cannot curb the already acquired rights of its minorities, particularly in a situation when it can practically rely only on the EU,” the prime minister added.

Photo: MTI

October 6, 2017

EC sends reasoned opinion on law on NGOs financed from abroad and higher education law

The European Commission has taken an infringement procedure launched against Hungary further and sent a reasoned opinion concerning the law affecting NGOs financed from abroad.

The EC said a reasoned opinion has been sent, which represents the second phase of the infringement procedure launched in July.

Hungary has one month to amend the law and bring it into line with European regulations.

Failing to do that, the EC could turn to the European Court of Justice.

The European Commission also instructed on Wednesday Hungary to provide additional clarification regarding amendments to its higher education law in the framework of an infringement procedure.

The EC launched the infringement procedure against Hungary over the amendments which require foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate under intergovernmental agreements and to have a campus in the country in which they are based, in April, shortly after parliament passed them.

Critics of the law said it put the operations of Budapest’s Central European University (CEU) under threat.

The commission stepped up the procedure by sending the country a “reasoned opinion” on the matter in July.

Although Hungary replied to the reasoned opinion, the EC asked for further clarification on its concerns about the non-compatibility of the legislation with the EU’s obligations under international trade law.

The EC added that it believes the legislation runs counter to the right of academic freedom, the right to education and the freedom to conduct a business, as set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU.

Hungary has two weeks to provide the additional details or the EC may refer the case to the Court of Justice of the EU,

the EC said in a statement.

The CEU announced on Tuesday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with New York’s Bard College to provide educational activities in New York State.

“We hope that this MoU, which does not preclude future agreements with other New York-based institutions, helps to provide the basis for a speedy conclusion to this affair. We await the Hungarian government’s signature of the agreement and parliament’s ratification in order to enable CEU to continue operating in Budapest, which has always been our goal,” CEU said in a statement.

October 4, 2017

CEU signs agreement with Bard College to meet legal requirements in Hungary

The Central European University in Budapest has signed an agreement with Bard College in New York to provide educational activities in New York State, the university told MTI on Tuesday.

Talks have been held in recent months between New York State and the Hungarian government about the future of the CEU but the university “has intentionally refrained from making public statements” in order to help the success of these talks, the statement showed.

The CEU has not participated in the talks but has been informed that they have “created the basis for an agreement”. It is anticipated that the government will sign an agreement and parliament will ratify the agreement with New York State, which will enable CEU to continue operating in Budapest, the statement said, adding that this has always been the university’s intention.

The CEU, founded by US financier George Soros, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College to provide educational activities in New York.

The university said it hopes that this memorandum of understanding, which does not preclude future agreements with other New York-based institutions, helps to provide the basis for a speedy conclusion to this affair.

State secretary for education László Palkovics said in parliament on September 20 that talks held with Maryland State and also with New York State had been held on a professional basis and “there were no political aspects”. As we wrote, it is expected that McDaniel College, based in the US state of Maryland, will be the first non-European-Union higher-education institution to have fulfilled the conditions set down in Hungary’s new higher-education law.

Illegal migration serious security threat, Hungary’s FM tells BBC Hard Talk

“In Hungary’s view, illegal migration represents a major security risk to Europe, and the Government regards it as a huge problem that the European Union was unable to handle this phenomenon right at the beginning”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on BBC television’s Hard Talk show.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who spoke to the press while attending the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, declared. “We can already see the consequences: over 1.5 million illegal migrants have entered the territory of the EU without any form of control, regulation or checks, and that is unacceptable”.

“One of the most serious consequences is the increased risk of terrorism in Europe”, he added.

According to Mr. Szijjártó there are two possibilities: either we encourage people who live in extremely bad conditions to come to Europe, or we provide assistance where it is needed. Hungary is clearly in favour of the second option, the Minister said.

“The Hungarian Government is acting accordingly, and is saying that

the European Union should be providing a much higher level of financial assistance to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Because according to Hungary’s standpoint people who have been forced to leave their homes should receive help to enable them to stay as close to their homes as possible, and in good conditions”, Mr. Szijjártó said.

“Hungary has contributed to the implementation of the agreement between the EU and Turkey with millions of euros, in addition to which it has spent of 15 million euros on supporting Christian communities in Syria, Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan and Lebanon”, he highlighted.

In reply to a question concerning the fact that according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi Hungarian practices are forcing refugees, including children, to spend long periods of time living in containers surrounded by barbed wire, Mr. Szijjártó said: “Everyone, including the UN’s high-ranking officials, must abide by European regulations. According to the Schengen Regulations it is mandatory for countries that lie along the external order of the European Union to ensure that their borders can only by crossed at official border crossing points and while in possession of the required travel documents”.

“Hungary has 500 kilometres of border that is also the external border of the European Union and the Schengen Area, and Hungary has an obligation to protect that border”, Mr. Szijjártó stressed.

The Minister said claims by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that Hungary’s procedure with relation to refugees violates its obligations according to both international law and EU regulations were “a dreadful allegation”. “Hungary has adhered to all international norms and has fulfilled all of its international obligations. Hungary ordered those who occupied railway stations or blocked motorways to cooperate with the local authorities, register themselves according to EU regulations and go to one of the refugee camps, but they refused to cooperate in any way”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

With relation to the fact that Hungary is refusing to accept a little fewer than 1300 refugees, Mr. Szijjártó said:

“400 thousand illegal immigrants travelled though the territory of Hungary in 2015, and since then the Hungarian Government has spent 800 million euros on protecting the border of the Schengen Area, but it has received ‘zero assistance’ towards this from the European union”.

“Hungary is taking the ruling of the European Court of Justice and the standpoints of European leaders such as German Chancellor Angel Merkel seriously, but I believe that the challenges posed by illegal migration must also be taken seriously, and we must engage in a rational debate on the subject, instead of an argument based on emotions”, he added.

In reply to criticism of the Act on Higher Education, Mr Szijjártó said: “There are 21 universities with foreign headquarters operating in Hungary, and if the situation is as bad as Mr. (Michael) Ignatieff (Rector of the Central European University) is claiming, then why aren’t we hearing any complaints from the other twenty universities?”

In reply to a question concerning whether “illiberal ambitions and acts” are putting Hungary in opposition to the European Union to such an extent that Fidesz “might as well recommend leaving the EU”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said:

“Hungary’s place is in the European Union, and it can only be strong itself as part of a strong European Union”.

“We are members of the European Union and we will remain members of the European Union”, he emphasised.

You can watch full interview HERE, but BBC iPlayer only works in the UK.

Photo: MTI

September 21, 2017

McDaniel College poised to be first to fulfil new higher-ed law conditions

It is expected that McDaniel College, based in the US state of Maryland, will be the first non-European-Union higher-education institution to have fulfilled the conditions set down in Hungary’s new higher-education law, a government official said on Wednesday.

This shows the conditions laid down in the law are implementable, László Palkovics, state secretary for education, told lawmakers during a debate on the inter-state agreement between Hungary and Maryland in connection with the higher-education law, which states that

an accord between the Hungarian government and a state outside of the EU and EEA is needed for an college or university to legally operate in the country.

Palkovics noted in the debate that the law had been amended in light of an examination by Hungary’s education authority that showed several institutions headquartered abroad were breaching various regulations.

As we wrote on July, Hungary and the US state of Maryland have signed an interstate agreement to ensure the continued operations of McDaniel College in Budapest under Hungary’s amended higher education law.

On August the Venice Commission said in a preliminary opinion on the law published: Hungary’s higher education act is overall in line with existing European norms, but its amended version tightening rules on foreign universities already present in the country contain some “highly problematic” requirements.

September 20, 2017

Fidesz: Soros behind request for special session of parliament

George Soros was behind the opposition’s call for Monday’s special session of parliament on the topic of the Central European University, Fidesz group leader Lajos Kósa said, referring to the US financier.

Lawmakers of the ruling alliance boycotted the session, which thereby lacked a quorum.

The Socialists, LMP and independent MPs had proposed debating abolishment of “Lex CEU”, the higher education law amendment which triggered a decision by the European Commission to launch an infringement procedure against Hungary.

Kósa told a news conference that Fidesz had notified the opposition it would “not attend sessions with the sole purpose of political noisemaking”.

“There is no point in changing the well-functioning higher education law only because George Soros is vexed by no longer being able to play tricks in higher education,” he said, adding that Fidesz had no intention of changing the law in question. The CEU, which the financier has founded and supports, is a marginal problem, he insisted.

Regarding criticism by the European Commission on the issue, Kósa said the commission had ignored the fact that higher education falls within the powers of member states.

In reaction, Socialist group leader Bertalan Tóth said the party stood by its demand to scrap “Lex CEU”.

By boycotting the session, the Fidesz and their allied Christian Democrats “have shown they don’t care about the country’s future or the fate of several hundred thousand people who they have got into trouble,” he said.

The European Commission has given Hungary 30 days to amend the higher education law, Tóth noted. Failing this, the country could be fined, he added.

Hungary’s higher education act is overall in line with existing European norms, but its amended version tightening rules on foreign universities already present in the country contain some “highly problematic” requirements, the Venice Commission said.

August 22, 2017

Hungary sends response to EC regarding infringement procedures

Hungary has sent its response to the European Commission regarding the infringement procedures launched because of Hungary’s laws on NGOs financed from abroad and on foreign universities, a justice ministry official said on Monday.

Last month, the EC stepped up an infringement procedure against Hungary for failing to bring its amended higher education act into compliance with European Union law. It also launched an infringement procedure against the country over a law requiring civil groups to register with a court as foreign-backed groups once their foreign donations reach 7.2 million forints (EUR 23,600) a year.

The EC gave Hungary one month to respond to the matters.

In its response, the government presented its case that the restrictions imposed by the laws in question are necessary and proportionate, state secretary Pál Völner told a press conference.

“We can’t help that the restrictions harm the interests of [US financier] George Soros,” but “not even he is above the law” in Hungary, Völner said. He expressed hope that the EC would “return to the legal ground on which these regulations were adopted”.

Völner insisted that the disagreements between Hungary and the EC regarding the laws in question were mainly political rather than legal in nature.

Regarding the infringement procedure over the amended higher education act, Völner insisted that regulating higher education was a national competency, arguing that the EC’s authority in the matter was “debatable to begin with”.

He suggested that the EC was applying double standards against Hungary in connection with foreign universities, arguing that Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic also require foreign universities operating in their countries to undertake educational activities in their home countries. Slovakia even requires its foreign universities to be headquartered in the EEC, he argued.

Völner said the EC had also criticised the requirement for an interstate agreement to be signed before foreign universities may award degrees in Hungary. The state secretary argued, however, that this stipulation “poses no obstacle between parties willing to work together”. Völner pointed out that Hungary had recently signed an interstate agreement with the US state of Maryland to ensure the continued operations of McDaniel College in Budapest under the amended higher education law. He said the rule prohibiting foreign universities’ use of identical names in different languages was necessary for the sake of credibility.

The aim of the law as a whole is to help identify “phantom universities”, universities without real backgrounds or universities that do not award valuable degrees, he insisted.

On the topic of the infringement procedure launched in connection with the NGO transparency law, Völner noted that in its preliminary opinion about the then bill, the Venice Commission had said the legislation pursued “legitimate aims”. Parliament eventually passed a law amended in line with the Venice Commission’s recommendations in connection with the bill, he noted.

Regarding the EC’s concern that the law introduced restrictions to the free movement of capital, Völner insisted that this was not the case, arguing that civil groups remained free to secure funding from any source they choose. The law ensures the transparent flow of money in the civil sector, he insisted.

“Transparency is needed because it is clear that NGOs worldwide insert themselves into the political process without being subject to laws regulating political parties and influence public opinion while eluding regulation,” he said.

Commenting on a suggestion that the civil groups most vocal in their criticism of the law had yet to register as foreign-backed groups, Völner said this was a form of political protest on their part. If they officially announce their refusal to register, they will face legal action which could end with their dissolution as NGOs in Hungary, he added.

August 14, 2017

Governing Fidesz says some in Venice Commission sponsored by Soros

The parliamentary group leader of governing Fidesz said there are people in the Venice Commission who are sponsored by Hungarian-born American financier George Soros in an interview with public radio broadcast on Sunday.

These people do what Soros says and must search for legal explanations, Lajos Kósa said on Kossuth Radio.

He said it was “absurd” that the European Commission believes the Central European University does not have to comply with Hungary’s law on higher education.

“Laws apply to everybody, even to George Soros,” he added.

Regulating higher education falls within the scope of power of the state in Hungary, he said, adding that everybody had taken the amended law on higher education seriously, and that agreements had already been reached with other American institutions of higher education operating in Hungary.

Kósa said Fidesz would not participate in an extraordinary session of parliament initiated by the opposition to amend the law on higher education. This shows how things would work in Hungary if the Socialists were governing: George Soros could call a session of parliament and organise votes with his people on anything he wants, he added.

On the issue of migration, Kósa said it was clear that the pressure would increase in the summer. Now NGOs are partnering with smugglers to help the migrants under the guise of humanitarianism, he added. He noted that public opinion on the matter had shifted in Europe, and that the Italians had laid down stricter rules for NGOs than those in Hungary’s civil code.

Photo: MTI

August 13, 2017

Venice Commission says certain provisions of higher edu act ‘highly problematic’

The Council of Europe’s commission acknowledged that European countries have a right to regulate foreign universities operating on their territories, as there are no clear unified European norms or models in this field. It added, however, that while the regulations laid out in Hungary’s law may legitimately be imposed on foreign higher education institutions not yet present in the country, the same could not be said in the cases of established institutions.

The commission said that after the amendment was submitted, it was passed relatively quickly by parliament which made it impossible to conduct a transparent legislative procedure during which the government could have consulted the parties concerned by the bill. This “would have been beneficial to the Law and its democratic legitimacy”, the commission said.

In its recommendations, the commission proposed that established foreign universities should be exempt from the requirement for an interstate agreement to be signed before they may award degrees in Hungary and the obligation to undertake educational activities in their home countries. It also recommends that the prohibition on foreign universities’ use of identical names in different languages be removed. Hungary should also “ensure that new rules on work permit requirement do not disproportionally affect academic freedom and are applied in a non-discriminatory and flexible manner”.

The commission pointed out that although the law does not name any higher education institutions, it primarily affects Budapest’s Central European University (CEU). Out of the 24 foreign universities currently operating in Hungary, the CEU “seems to be the only university that will seriously be affected” by the prohibition on foreign universities’ use of identical names in different languages, the commission said.

In June, the commission sent a delegation to Budapest to discuss the law with government officials and representatives from the CEU.

Last month, the European Commission stepped up an infringement procedure it had launched against Hungary over the law.

Reacting to the opinion, the Government Information Centre welcomed the commission’s view that the requirements in the law could be legitimately imposed on foreign universities not yet operating in Hungary. The Government Information Centre said in a statement that it agreed with the commission that all countries have a right to set the rules by which foreign universities can operate on their territory.

As regards the commission’s recommendations, they said the government “should not accept double standards”, arguing that the stipulations laid out in the law must apply equally to all higher education institutions, “including the Soros university and other universities as well”.

The Government Information Centre said it disagreed with the commission’s view that the requirements in the law should not apply to institutions already operating in Hungary. They said the government “regrets and is puzzled by the fact” that the Venice Commission “based the greater part of its opinion on the CEU New York and the Kozep-Europai Egyetem” even though it “acknowledges that the amendment affects several foreign higher education institutions operating in Hungary”.

The Government Information Centre said the recommendation that the amendment should not apply to already established foreign institutions violates Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the prohibition of discrimination.

The Venice Commission also criticized the Hungarian law on foreign-funded NGOs. They said, despite amendments, still raises concerns.

Photo: ceu.edu

August 12, 2017

Leftist DK backs opposition call to hold special session of parliament

The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) on Friday backed the Socialist Party’s call to hold a special session of parliament during the summer.

Last month, the Socialists initiated a special session of parliament to amend Hungary’s higher education law after the European Commission stepped up an infringement procedure against Hungary over earlier amendments to the law. Green opposition LMP has supported the call on the condition that suspending evictions in the cases of troubled forex loan holders be added to the agenda.

DK said in a statement that it supported both items being on the agenda of a special parliamentary session .

The support of at least 40 lawmakers is required for a special session of parliament to be convened. DK’s support brings the number of MPs backing the initiative to 37.

The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance has said it would not support the initiative.

August 4, 2017

LMP backs Socialists’ call to hold special session of parliament

Green opposition LMP has backed the Socialist Party’s call to hold a special session of parliament over the summer.

Last month, the Socialists called for parliament to hold an extraordinary session to amend Hungary’s higher education law after the European Commission stepped up an infringement procedure against Hungary over earlier amendments to the law.

LMP co-leader Ákos Hadházy expressed his support for the initiative at a press conference on Thursday but proposed that the agenda should also include passing legislation to suspend evictions in the cases of troubled forex loan holders as soon as possible. He said that some 3,000 borrowers ended up on the street last year while more than 10,000 eviction procedures had been launched so far this year. Hadházy added that bans on evictions should last until the situation of troubled borrowers is resolved.

He said his party’s motion to suspend evictions was backed by Jobbik and the Dialogue party, adding that there were reports that the co-ruling Christian Democrats were also prepared to support it.

István Ujhelyi, the Socialist Party’s deputy leader, told the same press conference that if parliament failed to act in connection with the higher education law, the matter would be referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union, which could leave Hungary with a hefty fine.

Ujhelyi said his party was proposing to hold the parliamentary session on August 21. He said the Socialists would also back discussing the situation of forex borrowers at the session.

The support of at least 40 lawmakers is required for a special session of parliament to be convened.

The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance said it does not support convening a special session of parliament.

“[US financier] George Soros is having his local followers convene the Hungarian parliament to repeal ‘Lex CEU’ and place the Soros university above the law,” Fidesz said in a statement.

August 3, 2017