The Hungarian government submitted a proposal to the Hungarian Parliament to amend the Act on National Higher Education, after the European Court of Justice ruled in October of last year that the lex CEU (which led to the CEU ending its meaningful operation in Budapest) violated EU law . CEU acknowledged the event, but stated that it does not intend to return, the university will remain in Austria, a country that respects the fundamental values of academic freedom.
CEU responded to the news in a statement published on its website:
"The Hungarian government's new law does not mean any change for our institution. We believe that the government has no intention of creating conditions under which international institutions similar to CEU could operate freely in Hungary. According to the new regulations, political decisions made at the highest level will determine which foreign universities can operate in the country. The government has already made it clear how it intends to use the power in its hands. He chased away an institution that operates according to international principles of academic freedom and instead invited a university that is completely subservient to the Chinese Communist Party.”
They added that
"these decisions have already been made by the government. CEU will remain in Austria, a country that respects the fundamental principles of academic freedom. We will maintain our research activities in Budapest, but we will not undertake educational tasks. We will never leave the city, but we will no longer submit to the political whims of one man and his system.”
Source: Wild drives / Index
Cover image: Illustration - Michael Ignatieff, CEU president and rector, speaks at the university's press conference in the CEU building in Budapest on May 30, 2017. Photo: Zoltán Balogh/MTI/MTVA
