EU Court of Justice dismisses Hungarian universities’ challenges to funding ban

The Court of Justice of the European Union has dismissed actions brought by six Hungarian universities challenging the prohibition on public interest trusts or entities maintained by such trusts receiving funding from the Union budget.

The General Court dismissed the appeals brought by the Universities of Debrecen, Óbuda, the University of Veterinary Medicine, Semmelweis, Miskolc and Dunaújváros on 30/09/2026.

In 2019, the Hungarian government transferred most of the country's public universities to public-interest foundations called KEKVA. The reform replaced direct state management with foundation boards that oversee universities under long-term funding agreements with the state. Critics, however, questioned the governance structure, warning that the new Boards of Trustees could…