The European Commission’s recent decision proves that it does not wish to engage in dialogue, disregarding the arguments made over the past two years demonstrating that university autonomy has not been compromised in any way by the model change, according to a statement jointly issued on Wednesday by six Hungarian universities and shared with the Hungarian News Agency (MTI).
The statement, signed by Semmelweis University, Óbuda University, the University of Debrecen, the University of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Miskolc, and the University of Dunaújváros, claims that the European Council and Commission adopted the Council’s implementing decision citing certain political concerns.
The decision includes a package of measures aimed at pressuring Hungary, which, as a “byproduct,” has dragged 21 Hungarian universities, their students, researchers, clinics, and institutes into a political conflict. This has led to unjust discrimination against them, contradicting fundamental principles of the European Union: equal treatment, academic freedom, non-discrimination, and the presumption of innocence, the statement emphasized.
The universities noted that the underlying issues between the Hungarian government and the Council have no connection to Hungarian universities.
In light of this, the six universities signing the statement have challenged the decision before the General Court of the European Union. The court, in an order dated April 5, ruled that the contested decision constitutes a regulatory legal act that directly affects the universities.
On December 16, the Commission concluded in a lengthy decision that Hungary’s efforts to address its concerns were still insufficient. As a result, universities that have adopted the new model will remain excluded from accessing Erasmus+ and Horizon programs, despite the Hungarian Parliament adopting and the government announcing on December 2 a legislative amendment requested by the Commission concerning public interest asset management foundations.
“We firmly believe that the rule-of-law concerns raised by the European Commission and Council against the Hungarian government cannot lawfully serve as grounds for interfering with the integrity of Hungarian universities or for severely punishing researchers and students,” the statement read.
The European Commission’s recent decision is evidence that it does not intend to engage in dialogue, disregarding the arguments presented over the past two years that demonstrate the model change has not compromised university autonomy in any way.
Instead, the European Commission is attempting to interfere with university autonomy by overruling university decisions based on spurious grounds, the statement added.
Neither Hungarian universities nor their researchers and students have been given an opportunity to express their views on this dispute and its impacts on them, the statement concluded.
