Ignatieff: Central European University ¡®forced out¡¯ of Hungary

The Central European University has confirmed that it will move to Vienna after repeated infringements of academic freedom by Hungary¡¯s government.

Speaking at a press conference on 3 December, Michael Ignatieff, president of 바카라사이트 Budapest-based?university, announced that all new students starting in September 2019 would enrol at a new campus in Vienna.

It follows 바카라사이트 refusal of Viktor Orb¨¢n¡¯s administration to sign an agreement certifying 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s legal status, forbidding it from accepting new students from January.

¡°CEU has been forced out,¡± said Professor Ignatieff, who called 바카라사이트 move ¡°unprecedented¡±.

¡°A US institution has been driven out of a country that is a NATO ally ¨C a European institution has been ousted from a member state of 바카라사이트 EU,¡± Professor Ignatieff said of CEU, which was founded by Hungarian-born US financier George Soros in 1991.

Professor Ignatieff added: ¡°If that is not an attack on a US institution or on academic freedom, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±

The Canadian academic said that 바카라사이트 decision had been taken because 바카라사이트 Hungarian government had refused to ratify 바카라사이트?agreement?negotiated more than a year ago with 바카라사이트 state of New York, which accredits CEU in 바카라사이트 US, and which would have guaranteed its long-term future in Budapest.

With CEU¡¯s admission cycle due to close at 바카라사이트 end of January, 바카라사이트 university was announcing its relocation to ensure that students still felt confident to apply for next autumn, he added.

¡°The Hungarian government knows about this deadline and has strung this out as long as possible,¡± said Professor Ignatieff, who added that ¡°this game has to stop¡±.

¡°We want to move to a country where 바카라사이트se games are not played and where 바카라사이트 rule of law still means something,¡± he said.

The relocation decision was taken reluctantly as 바카라사이트 university had a ¡°deep and profound desire to remain part of Hungary¡±, Professor Ignatieff said, but it ¡°cannot afford to wait¡± until 바카라사이트 government made a decision.

He also cited 바카라사이트 broader context of attacks on academic freedom by 바카라사이트 Hungarian government, including its?banning?of 바카라사이트 teaching of gender studies and efforts to reduce 바카라사이트 independence of 바카라사이트 Hungarian Academy of Sciences, as reasons for 바카라사이트 move.

¡°This is a dark day for freedom in Hungary and a dark day for academic freedom,¡± concluded Professor Ignatieff.

CEU said that it retained accreditation as a Hungarian university and would ¡°seek to continue teaching and research activity in Budapest as long as possible¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com