Soros meets Chancellor Kurz in Vienna
November 21st, 2018Pro-government authors find it strange for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to personally meet Hungarian-American financier George Soros and talk to him about Europe’s future, over and above the gradual transfer of most of the courses of Central European University from Budapest to Vienna.
Chancellor Kurz said Austria would gain with the presence of CEU in its capital. (Meanwhile, he also mentioned his disagreements with Mr Soros on migration.) Next year, the Soros- founded university will start four courses in Vienna but will gradually transfer all US accredited MA and PHD courses there. Courses offering Hungarian degrees will remain in Budapest. The new legislation passed by the Hungarian Parliament last spring requires Universities offering foreign accredited degrees to run degree courses in their countries of origin as well. CEU has since opened two major’s courses within Bard College, but Foreign Minister Péter Szíjjártó said those are not deemed to fulfil the criteria of a university and he hasn’t been given the mandate to sign an agreement on CEU with the State of New York.
On Pesti Srácok, Szilveszter Szarvas writes that ‘most Austrians are asking themselves why’ the Chancellor had to receive George Soros in his office. He quotes tweets from the public angrily criticising Mr Kurz, with one of them asking ‘how far are politicians ready to go for money?’.
In an unsigned report, Origo asks ‘on what bases did an American billionaire talk (to Mr Kurz) about the destiny of the European continent?’ Another question he also puts is ‘why does the leader of an influential European country have to negotiate with an American businessman on any issue?’
In an angry reaction to Origo’s report on Városi Kurír, a new left-wing site, philosopher György Gábor retorts that there are private personalities whom national leaders usually receive on the highest level, like Albert Schweitzer, Albert Einstein, Leó Szilárd, David Rockefeller, Neil Armstrong or Bill Gates. Editors in chief of important media outlets are also customarily received by political leaders, he continues, acerbically remarking that Origó is not one of those outlets.