The Hungarian government has shown itself «open» to softening official control over universities after the European Union has left most of the centers out of the Eramus student exchange program, in a new standoff between Budapest and Brussels.
The conflict dates back to 2021, when Viktor Orbán’s Executive favored that related foundations controlled the universities, within a framework of privatization that generates doubts as to the independence of centers that continue to be financed with public money.
The European Commission confirmed on Monday that it would no longer finance the scholarship program for students of universities linked to these foundations, in a punishment that has been applied since mid-December and comes at a time when Brussels is closely monitoring respect for the rule of law in Hungary.
«In principle,» Orbán’s executive is willing to revise the current regulations, for example to keep former ministers out of the controversial foundations. However, government spokesman Gergely Gulyas said that European pressure is «unacceptable and intolerable,» according to Bloomberg.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
