Central European University firms up Vienna campus plan

The Central European University (CEU) said Friday it has decided on the location of its new Vienna campus, where the bulk of its academic programs will begin moving from the autumn following a legal battle in Hungary that prevents it from enrolling new students to U.S.-accredited courses.

A six-story building in the international Favoriten district of Vienna will act as the interim location of the university campus, the CEU said, adding that "productive discussions" with city authorities are moving ahead on finding a more permanent base.

The CEU announced the move in December after the Hungarian government under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party followed through with a threat to effectively ban the U.S.-affiliated university from taking in new students.

Some €8.5 million will be spent on the initial move from Budapest to Vienna. CEU President Michael Ignatieff said the switch would mean the university can prosper in the "vibrant intellectual atmosphere of a great city.”

The European People's Party candidate to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president, Manfred Weber, has said the CEU must remain "on sound legal footing" if Fidesz is to remain a member of the center-right group. The EPP voted to suspend but not expel Orbán’s party earlier this week.

The CEU said its "ultimate aim is to become a bi-campus university," splitting teaching between the two campuses, though more students and staff will switch to Vienna through 2020.

Last year, research funding organization Open Society Foundation (OSF) announced it would close its office in Hungary and start moving staff to Berlin. The Hungarian government argues both the CEU and OSF are used by their financial backer George Soros to support policies opposed by Budapest. Researchers at Hungary's Academy of Sciences have also criticized the government, accusing it of trying to undermine its independence.