Socialist leader decries Hungarian government’s ‘autocracy’

Udo Bullman, leader of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament, has condemned the Hungarian government’s actions towards the country’s basic research network.

In a statement published on the group’s website on 4 June, Bullmann commented on recent moves by the government, under prime minister Viktor Orbán. The government is trying to transfer the governance of the research network of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from an academy-run secretariat to a board split between representatives appointed by the government and the academy.

“We strongly condemn Viktor Orbán’s latest attack against academic freedom in Hungary,” Bullmann said. “The Hungarian Prime Minister shamelessly continues his anti-democratic campaign by trying to assume command over scientific research in his country. Orbán’s attempt to restrict the freedom of thinking and suppress public debate is another brazen step towards building an autocracy in the heart of Europe.”