April 1, 2017

Mr. Zoltán Balog Minister of Human Capacities 1054 Budapest, Akadémia utca 3. Hungary

Dear Minister Balog,

We are past and present Regius Professors of History at the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and we are writing to express our deep concern about the planned legal changes that will alter the status of CEU in Hungary. We are concerned because we believe that these would damage the intellectual and academic freedom of CEU.

Since its inception, the CEU has established itself as a bastion of free thought and academic excellence in the social sciences and humanities. We have all visited CEU frequently and have been impressed by the quality of the students and their education. We have worked with our academic colleagues there over many years and we hold them in highest regard. CEU has established a reputation in History as an outstanding post-graduate institution, a beacon between east and west, and an internationally leading scholarly institution.

We therefore call upon the Hungarian government to withdraw the proposed legislation. It is in Hungary's own interest as well as that of the international academic community that CEU’s outstanding reputation and academic freedom should be safeguarded. The CEU contributes greatly to Hungary’s international scholarly reputation; and its loss or undermining would be damaging to Hungary’s international standing.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Christopher Clark, University of Cambridge, Regius Professor of History (current)

Professor Sir John Elliott, University of Oxford, Regius Professor of History, 1990-1997

Professor Sir Richard J. Evans, University of Cambridge, Regius Professor of History, 2008-2014

Professor Robert Evans, University of Oxford, Regius Professor of History, 1997-2011

Professor Sir Michael Howard, University of Oxford, Regius Professor of History, 1980-1989

Professor Lyndal Roper, University of Oxford, Regius Professor of History (current)

Professor Quentin Skinner, Queen Mary, University of London, Regius Professor of History University of Cambridge, 1996-2008

CC: Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary;

Office of the Prime Minister;

Central European University