European court upholds foreigners quota

"The court of Justice of the European Union (CJUE) approves quotas for foreign university students," headlines Der Standard. In response to a request from the constitutional court in Belgium, where the law stipulates that no more than 30% of students studying in the country may be of foreign origin, the Luxembourg based CJUE has upheld the right of national governments to establish quotas. Le Soir notes that the ruling, which took due note of the principles of the right to higher education, non-discrimination, and the free circulation of students, nonetheless acknowledges Belgium's right to establish quotas to prevent an influx of students that will reduce the quality of university education. Viennese daily Der Standard congratulates the court on its decision, which will have major implications for Austrian medical schools inundated by German students — as well as Belgian universities that have been forced to accept large numbers of French nationals — who were unable to find courses in their home country where entrance exams and numerus claususprovisions prevail.