Economy
U.S. makes it clear again it will not have talks on CEU with Hungary
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After creating legislation widely seen as specifically targeting CEU, the Hungarian government insists that Washington is willing to sit to the negotiating table with Budapest over ‘Lex CEU’.
Education Minister Zoltán Balog told local news portal index.hu on Tuesday that they are waiting for a letter by U.S. Education Minister Betsy DeVos in the CEU case. The U.S. State Department, however, has made it clear - again - that it has no authority or intention to negotiate in this matter.It seems the cabinet is not giving up its strategy of procrastination. Although Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appointed a chief negotiator to talk with CEU, Kristóf Altusz was a no-show when the first official negotiation between Hungarian authorities and CEU took place last Wednesday.
Tamás Menczer, press chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told state newswire MTI that Altusz has been waiting for Washington for three weeks to reply to the negotiation schedule he had drawn up.
“A press release is far cry from a diplomatic answer," Menczer lectured Washington.
He stressed that nothing puts academic freedom and the independence of universities at risk in Hungary. He insists that the Higher Education Law is not discriminatory, and that none of the affected institutions - of China, Malaysia or Thailand -, neither their respective ambassadors objected to the amendment of the law. Two of the three U.S. universities affected by the new legislation have shown willingness to co-operate and are seeking a solution, he added.
European Parliament has recently passed a resolution by a majority calling on Hungary to repeal of ‘Lex CEU’. It urged the Hungarian government “to immediately suspend all deadlines in the act amending the National Higher Education Act, to start immediate dialogue with the relevant US authorities in order to guarantee the future operations of the Central European University issuing US-accredited degrees, and to make a public commitment that the university can remain in Budapest as a free institution."
The College of EU Commissioners decided at the end of April to take legal action against Hungary in the form of a Letter of Formal Notice, on the basis of in-depth legal assessment, as it sees non-compliance with the freedom of establishment and provision of services.
Education Minister Zoltán Balog told local news portal index.hu on Tuesday that they are waiting for a letter by U.S. Education Minister Betsy DeVos in the CEU case. The U.S. State Department, however, has made it clear - again - that it has no authority or intention to negotiate in this matter.It seems the cabinet is not giving up its strategy of procrastination. Although Prime Minister Viktor Orbán appointed a chief negotiator to talk with CEU, Kristóf Altusz was a no-show when the first official negotiation between Hungarian authorities and CEU took place last Wednesday.
The U.S. Government has no authority or intention to enter into negotiations on the operation of Central European University or other universities in Hungary
, U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press release on Tuesday.“The United States again urges the Government of Hungary to suspend implementation of its amended higher education law, which places discriminatory, onerous requirements on U.S.-accredited institutions in Hungary and threatens academic freedom and independence."
The State Department also urged the Hungarian government to “engage directly with affected institutions to find a resolution that allows them to continue to function freely and provide greater educational opportunity for the citizens of Hungary and the region."Tamás Menczer, press chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told state newswire MTI that Altusz has been waiting for Washington for three weeks to reply to the negotiation schedule he had drawn up.
“A press release is far cry from a diplomatic answer," Menczer lectured Washington.
He stressed that nothing puts academic freedom and the independence of universities at risk in Hungary. He insists that the Higher Education Law is not discriminatory, and that none of the affected institutions - of China, Malaysia or Thailand -, neither their respective ambassadors objected to the amendment of the law. Two of the three U.S. universities affected by the new legislation have shown willingness to co-operate and are seeking a solution, he added.
European Parliament has recently passed a resolution by a majority calling on Hungary to repeal of ‘Lex CEU’. It urged the Hungarian government “to immediately suspend all deadlines in the act amending the National Higher Education Act, to start immediate dialogue with the relevant US authorities in order to guarantee the future operations of the Central European University issuing US-accredited degrees, and to make a public commitment that the university can remain in Budapest as a free institution."
The College of EU Commissioners decided at the end of April to take legal action against Hungary in the form of a Letter of Formal Notice, on the basis of in-depth legal assessment, as it sees non-compliance with the freedom of establishment and provision of services.
