EU launches legal action over new Hungarian education law

BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union on Wednesday launched legal action against Hungary over a new higher education law that critics say is aimed at shutting down a university founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

European Commission President Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU's executive arm has sent a "letter of formal notice" to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, which is a first step in legal action.

The Commission believes the law could infringe on European rights to provide services, but also rights regarding academic freedom and the right to an education.

The Hungarian government will have one month to respond, and based on Budapest's reaction, the Commission will consider what steps to take next.

Hungary's higher education law was approved earlier this month. The president of the Soros-backed Central European University says it means that his campus in Budapest might not be able to accept new students after Jan. 1.

"My institution has a gun pointed to its head," CEU President Michael Ignatieff said Tuesday as he sought support at the European Parliament.

Orban says the CEU is "cheating" because it issues diplomas accepted both in the United States and in Hungary, where it has been operating since 1993. The university is accredited in New York state but has no campus there. Orban says this gives it an unfair advantage over other Hungarian universities, but has denied that he wants to shut it down.

In a statement from Budapest, the CEU welcomed the legal action as confirmation of its belief that the law "is discriminatory and runs counter to European values."

Ignatieff said he hopes the move "will lead the Hungarian government toward rapid negotiations so that we can resolve this matter."

Orban faces his critics in the European Parliament later Wednesday as EU lawmakers debate concerns about his country, including a "Let's Stop Brussels" campaign aimed at highlighting what he says is an EU power grab.

The university dispute is part of a wider Hungarian government campaign against Soros. Orban claims Soros is undermining Hungarian interests because of his support for migrants.

Tens of thousands of people have crossed into and through Hungary. Orban, determined to stop more from coming, has built large razor-wire border fences.

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Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary contributed.