From the 2026 budget audit
International scholarly memberships: a function for the Academy's own budget, not for taxpayers.
410.3 million Ft funds the Academy's international union memberships and cross-border scholarly programmes — a learned-society function, consistent with the secretariat phase-out, moving onto member-and-endowment financing.
Roughly 100 Ft per taxpayer per year — 410.3 million Ft for international engagement that international scientific unions themselves finance through member contributions.
What you see — and what you don't
The seen: the MTA's participation in international scientific unions and cross-border scholarly programmes, funded by the general taxpayer. The unseen: the member-funded model that international scientific bodies themselves use — and that the MTA, as it builds endowment and subscription income, can adopt.
Objection
"Cutting international connections harms Hungary's standing in global science."
Answer
The international connections are not cut — only the funding source changes. International scientific unions are themselves member-funded; the MTA's membership fees are the natural charge on the Academy's own resources, not a standing claim on general taxation. In-flight multi-year commitments run their course within the three-year window before the line closes.
Share if you think international scholarly memberships should come from the Academy's own funds, not from general taxation.
The analyst's verdict
Support for International, EU and Cross-Border Tasks and Programmes
Rationale
This line funds the Academy's international engagement, EU-related tasks, and cross-border (határon túli) programmes — typically membership in international scientific unions, support for Hungarian-language scholarship in neighbouring countries, and participation in EU science frameworks. International scholarly cooperation is a genuine activity, but it is again a learned-society function, and the international scientific unions to which an academy belongs are themselves member-funded bodies. Some sub-components — fixed-term international-union memberships, multi-year cross-border programme commitments — may carry commitment durations not visible in the budget line. A three-year phase-out respects any in-flight commitments while moving the recurring international-engagement function onto the Academy's own member-and-endowment funding, consistent with the treatment of the secretariat above.
Transition mechanism
Linear phase-out over three years. In-flight multi-year programme commitments and union memberships run their contracted course within the window; recurring engagement is absorbed into the Academy's own resources as the secretariat transition completes. No state employee is on this line — it is a programme-grant, not a payroll.
Affected groups
International scientific unions and cross-border scholarly programmes the Academy currently part-funds (which continue under member-funding and other sponsors); Hungarian-language scholarship abroad supported by the cross-border component.
Free Society Institute
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