The opposition LMP party has submitted amendment proposals to the 2022 budget bill, saying they aim to return “funds stripped from universities” to the institutions.
Under the government’s plan to use the European Union’s Resilience and Recovery Facility (RRF), set up to offset the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, universities are slated to receive 119 billion forints (EUR 334.8m), rather than the 1,500 billion promised previously, party group leader László Lóránt Keresztes told a press conference on Monday.
He insisted the government was not going to compensate higher education institutions for the loss of funds, and that universities would face “brutal austerity measures” next year.
Hungary Alone Blocks EU’s Pro-Hongkong Stance Against China Once Again
Once again, Hungary has decided to block the European Union’s proposed statement accusing China of suppressing democracy in Hong Kong, reports Politico. The Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, stated that if the third attempt for joint action feels, Europe will “take positions that don’t reflect unanimity.” Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade Péter Szijjártó told state media on Tuesday that the EU had already made multiple decisions on China “without anything to show for it,” another one would not make a difference.
Budapest Leadership Insists on Fudan Referendum
Debate on China’s Fudan University’s arrival hasn’t simmered down in Hungary. Both the 9th district and Budapest’s (opposition) leadership insists on holding a referendum on the large-scale project, while the Innovation and Technology Minister wants to declare the project a priority investment, something that would ease the investment procedure.
An ongoing debate
China’s Fudan university’s arrival is perhaps the hottest topic in Hungarian domestic politics at the moment, after of course, the coronavirus crisis management. While the government recognizes the prestige of the university and that it is one of the best in the world, the project still faces some loud opposition. Some fear that it would overshadow Hungarian universities, while others highlight the ideological considerations as Fudan is under the influence of the Communist party. Some are even worried about national security issues, too.
Ruling Parties Fail to Attend National Security Cttee Meeting on Fudan
A closed meeting of the national security committee, which would have heard government office representatives on the planned campus of the Chinese Fudan university and on the cyber attack against government vaccine registration sites, among other issues, lacked quorum on Tuesday as government party lawmakers failed to attend.
Committee head János Stummer of Jobbik said ruling party lawmakers had “sabotaged” the meeting, and pledged to “not leave them or the government in peace” until the committee can table the issues in question.
Regarding the government’s vaccine registration site, which crashed on Friday during a surge in registration attempts, LMP’s committee member Péter Ungár said the site was either subject to “cynically timed” cyber attacks or “just of very poor quality”. If the “six crashes in the past six months” were cyber attacks, the National Cyber Security Centre should
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