OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 162, 21 August 1996

SLOVAK CABINET APPROVES DRAFT UNIVERSITY LAW. Marian Tolnay of the
Education Ministry's university department said the university
bill--passed by the government on 20 August--is "acceptable" to the
academic and scientific communities, Narodna obroda and CTK
reported. The cabinet refused, however, to consider the
recommendations of the Slovak Rectors Conference, which, according
to Tolnay "is not a partner of the government" and is "dictating"
its demands. The academic community reportedly is most opposed to
Article 15, which defines the ministry's powers in relation to
universities, and to Article 22 on postgraduate study. If passed by
the parliament, the legislation would restrict universities'
autonomy by allowing a failed student or dismissed professor to
appeal the decisions of academic councils to the ministry. The
ministry would also control financial flows to individual
institutions. Although the bill provides for the establishment of
private universities, it requires that two branches of Hungarian
universities in southern Slovakia ask for government approval. --
Sharon Fisher

ETHNIC HUNGARIAN LEADERS CALL FOR ANOTHER MINORITY SUMMIT. The
leaders of ethnic Hungarian organizations beyond Hungary's borders
have harshly criticized the draft of the Romanian-Hungarian basic
treaty and demanded that yet another Hungarian minority summit be
convened, Hungarian media reported on 21 August. The minority
organizations oppose Budapest's plan to sign the treaty in its
present form. They fear that the inclusion in the treaty of an
interpretation of Council of Europe Recommendation 1201 could dash
their hopes of establishing ethnicity-based autonomy and collective
rights. Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn told Hungarian Radio
over the weekend that he fully supports the draft and sees it as an
essential step to Hungary's joining the EU. Meanwhile, a Romanian
negotiating team arrived in Budapest on 20 August for consultations
on the final text of the treaty. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Tim Rostan