Hungarian law violated academic freedom, EU court rules

Central European University planning to open Democracy Institute in Budapest following ruling

A Hungarian law passed in 2017, which forced the Central European University to move most of its activities out of Budapest, violated the EU’s charter on fundamental rights and the rules of the World Trade Organization, the EU’s top court has ruled. Hungary must now change the law or face further action by the European Commission, which brought the case, or by the court.

The law requires universities registered in other countries to be subject to an international treaty between that country and Hungary to be able to provide qualifications in Hungary. This is contrary to the provisions of the charter “relating to academic freedom, the freedom to found higher education institutions and the freedom to conduct a business”, the Court of Justice of the EU ruled on 6 October.