There are no conditions in the new legislation brought into force through the amendment of the higher education law that cannot be observed or met, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács highlighted on Friday on the programme 180 minutes of Kossuth Rádió.

Mr Kovács also pointed out on the programme of the public service television news channel M1: it transpired during the course of a review that 27 out of 28 foreign institutions are operating partially irregularly and partially unlawfully. This is why a new framework system and a new set of regulations were created. This new legislation does not concern either the freedom of learning, or the autonomy of universities, he added.

On the programme of Kossuth Rádió, the Government Spokesperson found it interesting that “there is a single voice” that can be heard: György Soros’s university decided to create a storm of political hype out of the case. According to Mr Kovács, this is part of the political circus we have grown used to in the past seven years which has nothing to do with reality. The Government Spokesperson reiterated that earlier these circles wanted to create an „issue of freedom” out of a business decision in connection with the existence or non-existence of the daily newspaper Népszabadság. Similar to this, the existence or non-existence of a private university likewise does not form part of the freedom of a country, he remarked.

Mr Kovács mentioned that in other countries, such as in Switzerland, Germany and Holland, the systems in place are such that inter-state agreements provide the framework for the operation of institutions. The agreement between the two States guarantees that the conditions are based on mutual agreement and the possibility of monitoring, Mr Kovács added.

The Government Spokesperson further mentioned on the television news channel M1 that, based on the achievements of the Hungarian Government’s economic policy so far, there is room for optimism as it is justified and well-founded: more than 700 thousand new jobs have been created, the pay rise programmes have started, and consumption is on the increase continuously, as are tax revenues.

(MTI)