Key facts
- Hungary risks missing the September deadline to rejoin the Erasmus+ program.
- The return is contingent on submitting rule-of-law reforms to Brussels on schedule.
- Hungarian students were excluded from Erasmus+ in 2022 due to rule-of-law and transparency concerns.
- The new Hungarian government renationalized public interest trusts governing universities to meet EU demands.
- Hungary plans to submit required milestones at the end of August, potentially delaying the decision past September.
- Hungary has implemented its own Pannónia programme to finance international student mobility in the interim.
Hungary is facing a potential missed deadline for rejoining the EU's Erasmus+ student exchange program, despite earlier assurances from Prime Minister Péter Magyar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The return of Hungarian students, originally anticipated for the September academic year, hinges on Budapest submitting its rule-of-law reforms to Brussels promptly.
Following Magyar's election victory in April, both the Hungarian government and the Commission expressed a desire to reinstate Hungarian participation in the scheme. However, administrative actions from Budapest are crucial for the Commission to lift the suspension in time. Von der Leyen had previously stated that Hungarian students could rejoin the Erasmus community, coinciding with a political agreement to unblock €16.4 billion in frozen EU funds for Hungary.
The suspension, which affected 21 institutions run by government-linked public interest trusts in 2022, was due to rule-of-law and transparency concerns. Magyar's government has since renationalized these trusts, addressing the EU's demands for greater transparency in their governance.
According to Commission officials and diplomatic sources, Hungary has met certain 'super milestones' required by the Conditionality Mechanism, an EU tool for suspending payments over rule-of-law issues. However, these are not expected to be submitted until the end of August as part of a larger package of 27 milestones. This timeline makes it highly unlikely for the Commission to overturn the ban before the September start of the academic year. The Ministry of Education and Children confirmed that universities have submitted their Erasmus+ applications and that conditional grants are available, pending the lifting of the Council's restriction.
Prime Minister Magyar had expressed confidence in finding a solution for students to benefit from the scholarship from September, acknowledging that application deadlines had passed but suggesting additional applications might be possible. However, Dr. Loretta Huszák, a lecturer at Corvinus University, indicated that securing EU financing for the 2026-27 academic year might be impossible, potentially pushing the earliest return to the 2027-28 academic year.
In the interim, Hungary has established its own national Pannónia programme to finance international student, faculty, and staff mobility. The Ministry of Education stated that administrative preparations for grant agreements can begin before EU approval, but the signing and disbursement of funds will only occur after the Council's restriction is lifted.