By Nick Thorpe
BBC News, Budapest
Image copyright pyriteGetty Images
Europe’s top court has ruled that the rules of education violated EU law when a university in Budapest was forced to relocate most of its activity abroad.
The 2017 law focused on foreign universities but opted for the Central European University (CEU), founded by George Soros.
The European Court of Justice ruled that the conditions imposed by Victor Urban’s government were inconsistent with EU law.
Only one skeleton CEO staff remains.
The Central Budapest campus is now largely vacant, after the law forced the university to move more than 90% of its studies to a new campus in Vienna at a cost of 200m (180m).
What is a CEU and why is it important?
The CEU was founded in 1991 in Budapest by Mr. Soros, a Hungarian-American philanthropist and investor, primarily as a graduate university.
It has a dual legal identity, recorded in both New York State and Hungary. It currently has 1,243 students from 90 countries.
It was established in Vienna in 2019-20, after the Hungarian government made it impossible for it to operate continuously in Budapest through its “Lex-CEU”.
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Most of the university’s degree programs are in the U.S. Recognized in The attack on the CEU was widely interpreted as a war between the Hungarian nationalist prime minister and the liberal-minded Mr. Soros.
What caused the controversy over urban law?
The law was part of a higher education reform by the Victor Urban-led FedEx government.
It aims at the dual legal identity of the CEO.
Image copyright pyriteEPAIt demanded that foreign universities must have a “parent” university in their country of origin. Other elements of the ongoing update are:
- Privatization of 13 state universities
- This is in the hands of a board of governors appointed by the government.
- Research institutes under the Academy of Sciences are now under the control of the Ministry of Innovation
How have the government and the university responded?
CEO Reuctor Michael Ignatius welcomed the ruling as a matter of moral and legal reputation.
“The verdict removes the entire burden of the LEX-CEU from our backs and restores our independence,” he told the BBC. “It also strengthens educational freedom across Europe.”
Hungarian Justice Minister Judith Varga said: “Hungary will implement the verdict in the interests of Hungary.” “There is no need for ‘mailbox universities’,” he added.
Her response asked Mr Ignatieff to say that her “comments do not make sense”.
What happens now?
The university has said it will stay in Vienna, but it still runs two courses in Budapest and is one of the best libraries in the city. George Soros said the European Court ruling was a “victory for the fundamental values of the European Union”, but it was too late for the CEU.
Since September 2021, new US-accredited courses have been launched in Budapest, but no decision has been made yet.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Earlier this year, it signed an agreement with Shanghai-based Fudan University to set up a new campus in Budapest.
