Hungary has begun recruiting new members for boards overseeing its foundation-run universities as part of efforts to meet the European Commission’s conditions for unlocking frozen funds, despite plans to phase out the controversial governance model within a year.
The move is aimed at quickly satisfying the commission’s concerns over how the universities are governed, while buying time to design a permanent replacement, higher education experts said.
It comes after the commission in May reached an agreement with newly elected prime minister Péter Magyar to unblock €16 billion (£14 billion) in European Union funds frozen under his predecessor, Viktor Orbán, over rule-of-law concerns. The deal depends on a series of reforms, including the gradual phasing out of the public interest trusts (PITs) that were created under Orbán and now oversee many public institutions, including universities.
Judit Lannert, minister of education and children’s affairs, confirmed in a post on Facebook that Hungary’s education ministry had opened applications for the boards of trustees and supervisory boards of the PITs. University senates will help evaluate candidates, with applications due by 18 July.
Under the government’s plans, the foundations will continue operating during a one-year transition period, after which a new governance model is expected to replace them. Rather than attempting to negotiate an entirely new university governance model with Brussels before the 31 August deadline, the government has opted to reform the existing one for now.
