The Hungarian government has submitted its amendment to the Act on Higher Education, and extended the deadline for foreign universities to abide by the new law.
If the bill is passed, higher education institutions will have until January 1, 2019 to fulfil the conditions set down in the amendment.
Hungary's minister of Justice said the government maintains its firm belief that Hungarian laws are binding on everyone, even the American Central European University.
László Trócsányi said the amendment to the Act on Higher Education adopted in the spring of this year sets out clear and calculable conditions that can be met by all.
“The conditions relate to all foreign institutions that carry out higher education activities and operate – or wish to operate – in Hungary," he said. "This includes the American Central European University (CEU). This ensures the transparent operations of foreign higher education institutions operating in Hungary," the minister added.
Minister Trócsányi indicated that the new law has been followed by other institutions without issue, and has so far enabled the continued operations of facilities like McDaniel College Budapest, which is also American.
The minister explained that the original deadline of 1 January 2018 had clearly been sufficient for those foreign higher education institutions operating in Hungary that “took effective action in the interests of reaching an agreement, instead of inciting needless political disputes and conflict”.
He added that the government believes that a solution is possible, and is taking into account the fact that negotiations are still ongoing with other foreign higher education institutions operating in Hungary, including the American CEU.