Academic freedom and institutional autonomy in Hungary

Our President Sir Jim McDonald (Principal & Vice Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde) expressed the serious concerns from our Members with respect to ongoing attacks on academic freedom and institutional autonomy in Hungary.
5th October 2018
Back to overview

In a public letter directed to the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Parliament, Sir Jim McDonald states that the list of serious incidents is growing as, in addition to the attempts to close the Central European University (CEU) and the recent actions launched against the Centre for Social Sciences (MTA TK) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), this summer the Hungarian ministries of Human Resources and of Justice presented a draft decree to the Hungarian Rectors' Conference (MRK) calling for the abolition of master programmes in gender studies at Hungarian universities such as are currently being offered by the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and CEU. These continuous efforts of the Hungarian government to close CEU and discredit gender research and education for political goals are totally unacceptable.

On behalf of our Members, Sir Jim McDonald urges the Hungarian government and the European Union to fully respect academic freedom and institutional autonomy in this member state of the European Union and to assure that academic institutions are fully respected under the Hungarian constitution and laws.

With this letter, CESAER joins many other concerned organisations including the European Parliament (EP), in its call upon the Council dated 12th September, the European University Association (EUA), with its statement dated 12th September, and the Network of University Teachers, with its petition dated 13th August.

Request more information

If you want to know more about CESAER click on the button below.

Request more information here
Cookies

We distinguish the following types of cookies, based on their purposes:

  • Essential / Strictly Necessary Cookies:

    These cookies are necessary for the functioning of the website and cannot be disabled. They are usually set in response to your actions, such as setting privacy preferences, logging in, or filling out forms. Without these cookies, proper communication and navigation are not possible.
  • Non-Essential Cookies:

    These cookies are not strictly necessary for the website to function but help us provide an improved and personalized experience.
    These include:
    • » Functional Cookies:

      These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization (e.g., displaying external videos). They may be set by us or by external partners whose services we have added to our pages.
    • » Analytical Cookies:

      These cookies help us track website visits and traffic to gain insights into the website’s performance and areas for improvement. They help us see which pages are popular and how visitors navigate the site.
    • » Targeting / Advertising / Marketing Cookies:

      These cookies may be set by our advertising partners through our website. They are used by these partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other websites.

We use both our own cookies and those of carefully selected partners we collaborate with.


Want to know more?

Check out our detailed Cookie policy » and our Privacy policy » .

This website uses cookies to store settings and collect statistics. If you click the "Allow all" button, you are giving us permission to use all cookie types.

If you want more detailed information or to be able to set your own preferences, please use the "Customize" button.
Cookie image