Almost two dozen higher education institutions, including some of Hungary’s best universities, were removed from this program in 2022, when under the then nationalist-leaning country leader Viktor Orbán, they were transferred to the ownership of foundations.
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The pro-European conservative Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who defeated V. Orbán in the April elections, promised to solve this problem in order to unblock all EU funds frozen due to concerns about the rule of law in Hungary.
His government adopted an important package of legislation in June, which obliged the liquidation of public interest asset management foundations, the so-called KEKVA, and universities will be returned to state control next year.
“Erasmus is returning to all Hungarian universities!” announced the Minister of Education and Children’s Affairs J. Lannert on the social network Facebook, adding that the government has taken the necessary steps to ensure participation in the program.
“21 universities that were subject to restrictions already have a valid application for the Erasmus mobility program for the 2026–2027 academic year,” she added.
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Changes to the university ownership model made under V. Orbán sparked significant debate.
Although the then nationalist government claimed these reforms aimed to support modernization efforts, critics accused it of trying to entrench its party’s influence in education even if it lost power.
Several politicians associated with V. Orbán served on the boards of foundations managing universities, which prompted Brussels to suspend Erasmus funding, citing conflicts of interest, concerns about the rule of law, and transparency.
