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On Tuesday morning, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the Hungarian citizen is violating EU law.
2017 Amendment to the Higher Education Law (more commonly known as lex CEU), so that provision should be repealed.
According to the Court of Justice of the European Communities, the lex CEU violates the General Agreement on Trade in Services concluded within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the principles of freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services and the Directive on the EU on services in the internal market; They are also contrary to the EU provisions on the right to establish an educational institution and the freedom to do business.
The 2017 amendment to the Higher Education Act is incompatible with EU law.
The court also stated that if the Hungarian government does not comply with the ruling, that is, does not bring its own legislation into line with EU law, the European Commission can initiate another action to impose financial penalties.
Following the verdict, Michael Ignatieff, rector of CEU, said at a press conference in Vienna today that according to the Supreme Legal Forum of the European Union, the relevant sections of Hungary’s Higher Education Law are incompatible with EU law. . When asked by the BBC if Justice Minister Judit Varga had stated that Hungary would interpret the decision in the interests of Hungarians, Ignatieff replied that
we are neither affected nor interested. Judit Varga’s statement is incomprehensible. The CEU lex is not applicable in Hungary as of today. Point.
However, according to the momentary Anna Donáth, Hungarian higher education was impoverished due to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s hatred of György Soros.
According to the rector, Vienna will remain the “permanent home” of the university, but from now on they will be free to start again the courses accredited by the Americans in Budapest.
Éva Fodor, co-director of the CEU Center for Democracy, said about the plans in Budapest that in addition to the world-class library and the Open Society Archive, a CEU Institute for Democracy would be established with the center to research and disseminate the standards. democratic.
When asked by Reuters which programs they want to bring back to Budapest, the rector said
the decision is only hours away. We need time. We consider Vienna as our home, some of our trainings may return to Budapest, but we will decide this only later.
Asked by a journalist, Ignatieff replied that it will be decided later on whether the Hungarian state will be sued for financial compensation in connection with the measure, which cost almost 200,000 euros.
As the rector said,
from now on, we are free to decide what we will do with the university, and we will live with that freedom.
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