Hungarian government's Erasmus substitute scheme proves less than popular
Under the Pannonia programme launched by the Hungarian government, more than 200 university students went abroad in August and more than 500 in September to gain international experience. The programme is intended to replace the Erasmus+ student exchange programme, from which Hungarian foundation-run universities have been excluded by the European Commission over rule of law concerns.
The original plan was for 8,000 students to take part in the Pannonia programme this year, but in reality the number has so far fallen short of expectations.
In December 2022, the EU decided to ban universities run by Hungarian public interest foundations from participating in EU programmes, because it found that the influence of Fidesz politicians and businessmen on university governing bodies was incompatible with their interests. As a result, students from 21 higher education institutions are not allowed to participate in Erasmus.
The Hungarian government had previously announced the launch of the Pannonia programme, with a budget of HUF 10 billion, but the programme has so far not been as popular as expected. Despite the fact that the Tempus Public Foundation has announced more than 4,000 inter-university collaborations and more than 100 target countries are available.
Negotiations between the European Commission and the Hungarian government are progressing slowly and the relaunch of the Erasmus programme remains uncertain. Minister of Culture and Innovation Balázs Hankó said a solution should be found by the end of the year, but no concrete steps are yet in sight.
Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Getty Images
