Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe visits the University of Debrecen

Representatives of the Monitoring Committee of the Council of Europe have met and held discussions with the Board of Trustees of Count István Tisza Foundation for the University of Debrecen, responsible for maintaining our institution. Greek MEP George Papandreou said he considered the meeting useful and underlined that they would be working on a solution that is acceptable to all parties involved.

Rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, former Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou (SOC) and Secretary of the Committee Matthieu Monin paid a visit to consult the Board of Trustees of our Count István Tisza Foundation for the University of Debrecen (GTIDEA). Due to other commitments, Estonian MEP Eerik-Niiles Kross (ALDE) was unable to attend. The members of the Committee were received by Chairman György Kossa, members of the Board of Trustees György Balla, Zoltán Bács, Kálmán Győry and Tibor Szólláth, and Chair of the Supervisory Board Ildikó Orbán. The aim of the Committee's visit to Hungary, which lasted for several days, was to assess what changes had taken place since 2022 in the areas of concern related to the monitoring procedure initiated against Hungary. The impressions they gained were presented at a press conference on Wednesday.


“A package of comprehensive information was provided by the Board of Trustees to the rapporteurs on the operation of our model-changing institution and its benefits for the University of Debrecen in the fields of education, academic research and freedom, organizational and economic autonomy, equal opportunities and sustainability. We also presented to them how the decision-making and control mechanism of our foundation works, in which the direct representation of the university constitutes a majority, as three of the five members of the Board of Trustees are senior university professors, while two of the three members of the supervisory board are also delegated from the university,” said György Kossa, Chairman of GTIDEA Board of Trustees.
During the discussions, the representatives of the Board of Trustees also listed the achievements of UD over the past years, as documented by the progress in university rankings. They gave a detailed account of the implementation of investments into the university infrastructure, the development and promotion of academic research and teaching careers, and the establishment of social security.

Chairman György Kossa said that the implementation of model change had improved the university's resource allocation. UD now has more significant assets, and its autonomy has also increased. The Chairman was happy to see that the members of the committee wanted to gain first-hand personal experience, as this was the only way to get a real picture of the operating model. He also mentioned that the members of the Board of Trustees were confident that the information provided by them and the answers to their questions as well as their personal impressions would make a major contribution to lifting the restrictive measures imposed by the Council of the European Union on the system of support for young people and academic activities.

György Kossa asked the members of the Committee to do everything they can in order to bring an end to the situation that has developed in relation to higher education in Hungary and, specifically, in Debrecen, which is not just or fair for any of the parties currently involved.

“Together with my fellow trustees, we hope that politics will increasingly distance itself from higher education and will not use the obstruction of international cooperation as a political tool, since it is a universal crime against humanity, since collaborations are there to improve the quality of life of humanity. I think that we are all working to ensure that young people prosper and the quality of life of people in our country and in the international community improves," said György Kossa.
Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou thanked them for the opportunity and the useful information they had received.

- We saw and heard a lot of interesting things. It is striking to see the great tradition of the institution and the values that it cherishes, preserves and transmits," George Papandreou pointed out.

The representative of the monitoring committee explained that their task was to gather information on the functioning of universities and specifically the University of Debrecen after the model change. They were informed along the lines of the concerns previously expressed, mainly on governance, transparency and accountability.

- We had long discussions, we received a lot of information. I am confident that we can find a mutually acceptable solution to protect academic freedom and access to international cooperation while ensuring accountability. It is clear that the University, the members of the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees are doing their utmost to promote the values and to foster teaching, research and innovation for the benefit of the university community and students", said the Greek MEP, who also thanked Matthieu Monin, Secretary of the Committee, for his contribution to the preparation of the Country Report.

Press Centre