Dr. habil. Norbert Merkovity, Vice Dean for Education represented our Faculty at the opening ceremony of the Gateway Programme on 20 September 2023, where he said that internationalization continues to be very important for the University and the Faculty, and that in this context relations with China are of particular importance. He expressed his hope that the students will learn and experience many new things during their stay and opened the first semester of the academic year 2023/2024 with joy.

Prof. Dr. Krisztina Karsai, Director of the Gateway programme also welcomed the students, stating that those who arrived for the semester continue an important tradition, as the programme has been running since 2012, and is one of the international pillars of the Faculty. Professor Karsai also said that the programme is not only opening a gateway to the University of Szeged, but also to the heart of Europe - where students have the opportunity to experience and try as many things as possible and asked the students to do so.

Dr. Wang Rui, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute noted in her speech that this opening ceremony and this group are memorable not only because they are the first ones to personally participate in the Gateway programme after the pandemic, but also because this year marks the tenth anniversary of the cooperation between the Shanghai International Studies University and the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University of Szeged. She said that although she has only been in Szeged for five months, she loves the culture and immersing herself in it and she encouraged all students to experience as much as possible during their stay and try to do the same.