We reported on Monday that the National Athletics Centre in South Pest was opened to the public with multiple outdoor sports equipment that can serve and entertain kids, adults, athletes and the general public. Now, it seems both the Orbán cabinet and the leadership of the capital are committed to building the promised students’ city near it.
Chinese university campus planned to be built in South Pest
Years ago, it sparked serious public outcry and heated political debates that one of the world’s best universities, the Shanghai-based Fudan University, would open a campus in Budapest. Some politicians claimed the university would spread the Communist ideology in Budapest and Hungary, being a national security threat not only in Hungary but also in the European Union.
Furthermore, the government decided to provide land, teaching and research facilities for the new campus in Budapest’s 9th district and the 21st district, Csepel. What’s more, the location of the new campus would have been in the place of another government promise, the so-called students’ town, which aimed to ease the housing crisis hitting especially university students in Budapest.
Budapest resisted
The opposition-led Budapest municipal council did what it could. They renamed some streets in the future area to Free Hong Kong Road, Uyghur Martyrs’ Road, Dalai Lama Road, and Bishop Xie Shiguang Road, the last referring to a persecuted Chinese Catholic priest.
Moreover, the united opposition wanted to hold a referendum about the Chinese university, but the Supreme Court declined that in May 2022. Later, a similar drive for a Budapest referendum was halted because the Democratic Coalition ceased backing it.
No activity of the Fudan Foundation found
Now, it seems the problem could be solved soon. Despite Hungary having a foundation to run the local campus of Fudan University, the institution does not show signs of life. One of the opposition MPs, Márton Tompos, currently the President of the Momentum Movement, tried to gain more information about the Foundation’s activity after the institution failed to submit its report to the Hungarian National Assembly despite it being their legal obligation. However, MP Tompos could not speak to anybody at the foundation headquarters.
New foundation to construct students’ town, making South Pest a student paradise
The Hungarian Parliament may reshuffle the Fudan Foundation next Thursday to become a unit charged with supervising the building of the future students’ town in South Budapest. Gergely Gulyás, the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, said during a previous press conference that the Orbán cabinet would no longer like to build a campus for the Fudan University. Instead, they would like to construct a students’ town offering 10-12 thousand beds for higher education students, easing the housing crisis.
Alexandra Szentkirályi, the leader of the Fidesz group in the Budapest municipal assembly, is one of the strongest voices supporting the project. Krisztina Baranyi, the re-elected mayor of Ferencváros (9th district), the district where the students’ town will be, said they could start the construction project yesterday.
If the parliament accepts the relevant bill, the new foundation may receive additional property in Budapest’s 9th district. The new name of the institution will be Tudás-Tér Alapítvány.
If the new “town” is ready, the gate to the Csepel Island in South Pest will become a paradise for students.
Ministry launches public consultations on housing support for young Hungarians
The National Economy Ministry on Friday announced the start of public consultations on a measure to raise the threshold for non-wage benefits for housing with tax allowances. The measure would raise the threshold from an annual HUF 450,000 at present to HUF 150,000 a month or HUF 1,800,000 per year for employees under 35 from January 1, 2025.
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