Speech in the legislative debate of Gergely Arató (Democratic Coalition, Demokratikus Koalicio) delivered on June 12, 2019

The speech was delivered in the general legislative debate on Bill no. T/6359 introduced by the Government on the amendment of certain acts to transform the structure and financing of the research, development and innovation system. According to the official explanatory memorandum, the legislator’s aim was to enhance the country’s scientific and technological competitiveness. However, the bill was severely criticised by the scientific community and the political opposition. In this debate, MP Gergely Arató criticised the bill and the Government for trying to undermine the independence of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Gergely Arató made a brief reference to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the opinion of the European Commission to substantiate his criticism.
Quote: “ […] az Európai Bizottság ma volt olyan kedves, és direktben megüzente: az Európai Bizottság hangsúlyozza a nyílt, versengő finanszírozási rendszerek fontosságát, hiszen ezzel érhető el a minőségi kutatás, ezáltal nőhet a finanszírozás tényleges hatása, illetve erősödhet a nemzeti kutatási rendszer, és így tovább, és így tovább. Az Alapvető Jogok Chartája elismeri az oktatás, kutatás szabadságát és a művészetek, a tudomány szabadságát. Az Európai Bizottság így kiáll a kutatási és tudományos szabadságért és az akadémiai intézmények függetlenségéért.”
Translated quote: “The European Commission was kind enough today to send a clear message : the European Commission emphasises the importance of an open and competitive system of funding because this is the only way to ensure the high quality of research, to increase the efficiency of funding and to strengthen the research network and so on and so forth. The Charter of Fundamental Rights also protects the freedom of arts and sciences. Therefore, the European Commission stands up for the protection of the freedom of scientific research and the independence of the research institutions.”