He noted that the MTA offered to mediate between the government and the Central European University (CEU), a Budapest university funded by American financier George Soros, seen as the target of an amendment to the higher education law tightening control over foreign universities in Hungary.

“As the CEU has an excellent scientific record, the academy would see it as extremely unfortunate should it be forced to move abroad”, Lovász said.

The assembly also decided to amend the statutes of MTA according to the suggestions of the Women as Researchers committee, formed last year to investigate the reasons for the scarce number of women among MTA members. The assembly takes measures to encourage the admittance of women to the academy, he said.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Bruzák Noémi