Brussels, 15 February 2019
Dear Professor László Lovász, dear Colleague,
On behalf of the Board of the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) in Brussels, Belgium, we address you concerning the following:
The Institute of World Economics (IWE), member of the Center for Economic and Regional Studies (CERS) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, is a member of TEPSA. Our Association is a multilateral network of European Studies institutions in Europe and is composed of 41 member institutes and associate members located in 35 European countries.
We learned about changes in the system of financing of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which indirectly will affect our member as well.
TEPSA attaches great interest to the respect of independence of our members, without which the objectivity and quality of their work cannot be ensured. Academic freedom and integrity are the corner stones of all TEPSA activities.
We therefore are of the opinion that the organisational and financial conditions on which the functioning of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and indirectly the Institute of World Economics, is based should not be negatively affected by possible changes to its infrastructure.
In the meantime, we express support for the staff members of the Institute of World Economics, and of CERS as a whole, the cooperation with whom we have always appreciated, in the past and present, and hope to continue to experience in the future as well.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Michael Kaeding, Chairman of the TEPSA Board
Prof. Jaap de Zwaan, Secretary-General of TEPSA