11/06/2019 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 10 June, several members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences wrote a letter to the President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, candidate for the succession of Jean-Claude Juncker, urging him to condemn the legislative changes being considered by the Hungarian government and to call on the latter to abandon its plans. Viktor Orbán’s government is considering restructuring the Academy, which would damage its network of research centres and place it under state control. Under the proposed legislation, the research centres and institutes would be separated from the Academy and organised into a new entity governed by a council, 50% of which would be composed of government representatives. Another council, composed entirely of government representatives, would be placed above this council. All the members of these bodies would be appointed by the Prime Minister, the letter states. (SP)