Hungarian scientists left in the lurch as government’s battle with EU drags on

The situation facing Hungarian academics has deteriorated as the country’s government find itself increasingly at odds with the EU. In January, the European Commission froze grants from Horizon Europe and Erasmus student exchange for 21 universities in Hungary. Billions of euro in funding had already been suspended over breaches of fundamental EU values.

This summer, the European parliament approved a resolution questioning Hungary’s ability to take over the EU presidency in 2024, signalling hardening opposition to Victor Orbán and his transformation of Hungary since coming to power in 2010. This was marked by a European parliament report concluding in 2022 that Hungary can no longer be considered a liberal democracy.

Orbán’s government is also mired in accusations of misuse of EU funds, with investigations reportedly ongoing. In a 2023 survey , 77% of companies in Hungary consider that corruption is a problem, while 88% of respondents considered it widespread in the country.