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• Family businesses and shareholders' agreements - possible links

  99-124

  Zoltán József Fazakas

  Views:

  77

  The concept of a family company is not defined in current law. In the case of companies in which members of a family have a decisive influence, it allows only a formal approach. However, in addition to the formal approach, the substance of the company, the specific nature of family interests and values, justify an examination of the company from other points of view, which allow not only the long-term commercial economic activity but also the specific nature of family relationships to be examined on the basis of company law. It is therefore of the utmost importance that family companies should reflect family relationships, the need to operate intergenerationally and protect the family nature of the company, and ensure the family's long-term prosperity. The combination of the formal and substantive elements makes it possible to conclude that family companies are special legal entities in which a particular family community has a decisive influence, has and represents specific interests and values, among which the protection of family assets, the aim of intergenerational operation and the safeguarding of the long-term well-being of family members are to be highlighted. The Civil Code provides for multiple means of achieving these interests, in addition to the classic instruments of company law, including the possibility of shareholders’ agreement.

• Thoughts on the successions of the business shares

  János Dúl

  Views:

  77

  The article focuses on the successions of the business shares which are in the Hungarian limited liability companies. There are several changes because of the new Civil Code that affected this area although we have to examine the former regulation because of the period of validity, too.

  The succession law is the area of the law with whom every people has connection at least once in their life. The number of the legacies grows in which business shares can be founded because more and more people are participating in business societies.

  The new method of the regulation differs from the previous. The new Hungarian Civil Code (Act V of 2013) consists of not only the “classical” civil law (for example property law, law of contracts) but the family law even the business law. Before this there were two separate laws and because of this situation we have to examine the relation of these laws and their methods of regulations.

  Afterwards we study the state of the successors in the Hungarian limited liability companies. It diverges from the other companies because the limited liability companies are transitions between general and limited partnerships and joint-stock companies. There were more ideas how to regulate this company; at the end it has differences but not so significant.

• A short study on Danish Act on Names

  Zoltán Megyeri-Pálffy

  Views:

  33

  In Denmark until around 1850-1870 most ordinary people used patronymics instead of surnames, however, in 1812 the Danish government passed a law requiring families to choose a fixed surname that future generations should continue to use. In 1826 patronymics were abolished by law. It took several decades for patronymics to disappear.

  Constantly changing names had given reasons for this regulation. The patronymics (as family names) were not favourable for property circumstances and registration.

  Today the Danish name system bases on the Danish Act on Names. This act contains regulation of last names, middle names, first names, procedure of giving names and the changing of names, private international law relations and penal provisions.

  This Danish act is very permissive, because it allows using traditional patronymics and in the same time encourages individuals to choose a new surname. So a name which is not used as a last name in Denmark can be adopted as a last name but some conditions must be effective.

  In Denmark last names borne by 2,000 individuals or less are protected and cannot be adopted by other individuals. This is an unusual form in protection of names.

  There is a lot of similarity between Hungarian and Danish right of name, enough to think about the first names. Either in Denmark and in Hungary a first name cannot denote the opposite gender in relation to the individual who will bear the name. There is a list of names for boys and girls, which is identical with the Hungarian list of first names compiled by Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

  Why can this Danish act be interesting for a Hungarian lawyer?

  In Hungary the regulations of names were very scattered, so the rules were on every level of the sources of law. Since 2004 this situation is not so unfavourable, but we still do not have one unified act on names as it is in Denmark. So the Danish act can be a good example to examine how we can establish a similar unified regulation in Hungary.

• A büntetőjogi mediáció gyakorlati aspektusai

  1-12

  Eszter Héthy

  Views:

  105

  Mediation is a conflict-management method designed to achieve restorative justice (offenders should assume responsibility and pay the penalty for their deeds, with the greatest emphasis on reparation of the victim, and the affronted community should be conciliated). This method may be applied to solving a variety of disputes or conflicts (e.g. disputes involving neighbours, families, couples, and companies).
  The mediation technique has already been used in the fields of civil law, family law and employment law. From 2007 onwards, it can also be applied in criminal procedures. According to Article 221/A of the Code on Criminal Procedure (Act XIX of 1998) the mediation process may be used in criminal procedures dealing with certain offences against the person, property or traffic offences if the crime is punishable with no more than five years imprisonment, and the offender has made a confession during the criminal investigation.

• Domestic partnerships on the basis of the current judicial practice and the draft version of the new Civil Code

  Alexandra Ács

  Views:

  47

  An examination of the statistical data reveals that the number of marriages concluded has significantly decreased in recent years, accompanied by an increase in divorce cases. In a parallel way, there is a growing number of domestic partnerships.[1]

  This study surveys the judicial practice of this field in the past two decades with the intention of attempting to describe and shed some light on the essence of domestic partnership in Hungary by way of discussing some of the most important cases and the relevant provisions of law. In view of the fact that preparation for the codification of the new Civil Code is now under way and new rules are expected to enter into force in 2 or 3 years, the changes anticipated in this area are also briefly addressed in the study. Since the Proposal intends to change the current legal provisions in three areas, special emphasis was laid on these, namely:

  1. Under certain conditions, as defined by law, alimony may be awarded to a formal domestic partner.

  2. Continued use of the place of residence earlier shared with the former domestic partner is possible also after the termination of the domestic partnership.

  3. A former domestic partner may request that the property relations be settled after the termination of the domestic partnership. 

  ---

  [1] Domestic partnerships were first surveyed in Hungary in the 1970 census: the number of such relationships, which was 62 thousand in 1970, doubled by 1990, and increased by nearly four and half times by 2001. As a result of these developments, 74% of the 2,869,000 families counted were based on a married couple. Ten years before this proportion was still 80%, while three decades ago it was as high as 88%. (Népszámlálás [Census], Vol. 2001, no. 19. “Family types, family forms”, KSH, p. 17).

• Extracts from the regulations settling the tenure of the matrimonial home in Europe

  121-139

  Tamara Dóra Szücs

  Views:

  107

  The tenure of the matrimonial home after divorce is a significant question in several respects. In addition to the fact that both parties are likely to be emotionally attached to the former scene of family life, the wealth factor must be taken into account as well, as it is a valuable property that can be a real trump card for both spouses these days, considering the high property prices. It should also be borne in mind that if a spouse receives the formal matrimonial home, he or she will not be exposed to the inconvenience of finding a suitable home and will not have to leave his or her usual environment. It follows, however, that a spouse who is forced to move must be compensated in some way for these difficulties, even if he or she did not own the matrimonial home. This study intends to examine the regulation of European countries regarding the use of the marital home in the event of divorce, presenting the typical models and the main aspects considered. The purpose of the present work is not to analyse the Hungarian regulations, they are only mentioned for the aim of comparison. As a conclusion of this research, I would like to reveal the most ideal solution for settling the tenure of the matrimonial home in the event of a divorce, the pros and cons of each model, and if states really take family law principles into account.

• Does the Ebktv. provide adequate protection on the labor market for child-raising? Equal employment of pregnant women and parents in Hungary

  47-60.

  Zoltán Földvári

  Views:

  232

  In the recent years, there were several government programs in Hungary aiming to boost the number of childbirths, mainly through direct financial support for parents. But undertaking the commitment to raise a child is not just a financial issue for parents, and especially women. The work – life balance is just as important for many, especially for college-educated ones.

  My paper aims to examine the legal framework of the equal treatment focused on the abovementioned situation, about how it can prevent the discrimination of pregnant women and parents in the workforce. I briefly look at the legal development of the area in the European Union, and the most relevant issues and procedural questions in the Hungarian Act CXXV of 2003 on equal treatment and the promotion of equal opportunities. For the main part of the paper, I focus on the case law of the Equal Treatment Authority, on how certain conducts (direct or indirect discrimination, harassment, victimization) surface in relation to childbearing and child raising, how did the Authority decide in these cases, and how do these decisions affect the practice of this field. The Kúria is also a substantial actor in this area, as the highest court in the country, its binding uniformity decisions hold significant weight for the law of equal treatment, therefore I examine some of its important decisions.

  In the end, I summarize my findings. In today’s labor market, pregnant women and parents face discrimination, this is especially true for pregnant women on probationary period. Employers feel burdened if an employee gets pregnant, and in some cases, they still try to lay off women who do not put their career ahead of family. Overall, I conclude that the legal framework is satisfactory, but several underlying social issues will continue to generate obstacles if the employers’ and society’s view about motherhood and roles in the family will not change.

• The role of de facto separation in the divorce law of EU Member States

  41-56

  Edit Hadházi

  Views:

  110

  De facto separation (means spouses are living apart) as the most spectacular sign of the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage is a legally relevant fact in the (national) divorce law of the most European Union Member States. However, there are notable differences in the regulatory methods used and how much importance is attached to it. There are Member States where the quantity and quality of the separation is regulated at the legislative level, either as an explicit precondition for divorce or as a legal circumstance orienting the judge, and there are Member States where separation plays a role solely or mostly in the process of the application of the law. My hypothesis is that the fact of separation is such a common intersection of the divorce law of the EU Member States that the legal attitudes taken by them in this regard require a comparative analysis of the law. The aim of this paper is to examine that how the EU Member States incorporate the fact of separation into their divorce law, to classify the regulation methods ’from legislation to application', and to draw the final conclusions in a summary.

• Functional Analysis of Damage Charges

  97-117.

  András Mátyus

  Views:

  201

  Replacing the legal institution for non-pecuniary damages burdensome by previous theoretical and practical contradictions, Act V of 2013 (Civil Code) introduces damage charges as a separate sanction for violation of personal rights, which has dual functions: on the one hand, it aims for the person being injured in its personal rights receive a monetary allowance that approximates or compensates for the non-material damage suffered. On the other hand, it can also be considered as a punishment under private law for the prevention of similar infringements, as a deterrent.

  According to the intended interpretation, the damage charge can only be applied if it is able to fulfill its function, i.e. if no non-pecuniary damage can be detected for which the damage charge is intended for proportional compensation (primarily), it has no place at all since in the case of infringements leaving the personality untouched, only the punitive function would be exercised, which is completely incompatible with the inherently remedial, corrective nature of private law. According to the unanimous opinion of the legal literature, the compensatory function should have priority and private punishment only take precedence of a secondary nature. On the basis of my work, it is noticeable that judges also consider damage charges as a legal instrument to repair the immaterial injuries suffered and to compensate for the lost pleasures of life, and to not order it upon preventive reasons solely, but in the plurality of cases, preventive function is being evaluated as a factor enhancing the amount of the damage. In my study, I wish to analyze from several aspects, how the dual function of the damage charge is assessed by the courts concerning present cases, by highlighting which nature is protruding concerning the amount or the legal basis. As the research is basically empirical, I will examine through as many judgments as possible, what aspects the courts evaluate in the framework of the compensational (e.g.: physical injuries, mental changes, age, family life of the victim, change in lifestyle, etc.) and of the preventive function (e.g. the gravity of the infringement, its protracted nature, etc.). Finally, I would like to answer the central question of my thesis: what function does practice attribute to the payment of damage charges.