Possible reprieve for Hungary's Central European University

After 70,000 people marched in Budapest against a new Hungarian law that targeted the liberal Central European University, the Hungarian government has dangled a possible escape rope: Education Secretary Laszlo Palkovics said that "CEU could issue diplomas if it extended a license agreement with its Hungarian sister school to teach its courses."


The government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a critic of liberal civil organizations funded by the Hungarian-born Soros, has said the Central European University had violated regulations in awarding diplomas – an allegation rejected by the college.

The aim of the new legislation, the government says, was to address administrative shortcomings of foreign universities in Hungary. Critics counter that the law is part of a wider crackdown on nongovernment organizations linked to Soros.

Soros-founded university, an island of liberal thought, can stay open, says Hungary
[Marton Dunai and Gergely Szakacs/Reuters]