Can Germany's universities protect academic freedom if the far right takes power?
Germany's universities are quietly preparing for the possibility that the far right could one day enter government, and fear for their academic freedom, RTBF reports.
In 30 seconds
- RTBF's 'Vu d'Europe' reports that German universities are preparing for a possible far-right arrival in power and fear for their academic freedom.
- Academic freedom in Germany is guaranteed by Article 5 of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), covering research, teaching and science.
- The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), founded in 2013, has become one of the strongest parties in several eastern German states.
- Central European University was effectively forced out of Hungary and relocated most teaching to Vienna in 2019, a widely cited European precedent.
The story concerns German universities preparing for a scenario in which the far right — chiefly the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), founded in 2013 and now a leading force in several eastern states — enters government at regional or federal level, and the sector's fear that such a shift could erode academic freedom (Wissenschaftsfreiheit), a right enshrined in Article 5 of Germany's Basic Law. The framing comes from RTBF's 'Vu d'Europe' segment, which places the German case within a broader European debate about political pressure on universities, echoing the earlier removal of Central European University from Hungary. Belgian relevance is secondary, running through shared EU research and mobility structures (Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, EURAXESS) and cross-border ties between German and Belgian universities.
Background
Germany's constitutional protection of academic freedom in Article 5 of the Basic Law was written against the memory of the Nazi regime's purge and instrumentalisation of universities in the 1930s. The nearest contemporary European precedent for the fear now being expressed is Central European University, which was pushed out of Budapest under Viktor Orbán's government and moved most of its teaching to Vienna in 2019 — an episode widely read as a warning that academic independence could no longer be assumed within the EU.
What to do
Belgium-based researchers and students considering Germany can check the EURAXESS portal (for research posts and mobility rights) and the Erasmus+ programme (for student exchanges), which set out entitlements as they currently stand as of mid-2026; none has changed in response to this debate. Note that many German programmes teach in English but administration and funding often run in German, a practical hurdle independent of the political question.
Impact
Regional — Belgian universities — the ULB, VUB, KU Leuven, UCLouvain and Ghent among them — maintain dense research and teaching partnerships with German counterparts through EU programmes, so any change in Germany's academic climate would eventually register in Belgian labs and lecture halls, though no such change has occurred.
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