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• Possible improvements of the water law concepts

  38-54

  János Ede Szilágyi

  Views:

  252

  The present article concentrates on the so-called water law concepts. As regards water law concepts, the article especially deals with the challenges of the Hungarian water management. The article has five main chapters. In the first chapter, the author focuses on the basis of the water law concepts, namely on natural, social and engineering sciences, furthermore, the author also determines the legal instruments which are able to provide proper links among the different water law concepts. The further four chapters analyse the water law concepts one by one; i.e. (a) ruling over waters, (b) water as an environmental component, (c) water as the subject of commercial deals (good or service), (d) water as cause of damage a.k.a. defence against water.

• Agricultural irrigation in Hungary, with special regards to the water resources levy and agricultural water supply fee

  46-61

  Ágnes Bujdos

  Views:

  307

  The price of the agricultural irrigation is determined by the water resources levy and agricultural water supply fee, which are regulated under Article 15/A. (1) and Article 15/F. (1) of the Act LVII of 1995 on Water Management. A kind of dualism concerning the price of the irrigation can be observed in Hungary. On the one hand, the necessity to irrigate has to be reflected in the price due to the negative impacts of drought on crop production, although irrigation scores low on the hierarchy of water uses. On the other hand, the price must also express the value of water as an irreplaceable natural resource with limited renewable capacity. Based on the analysis of the said provisions, it can be concluded that though allowing derogations from paying for the agricultural irrigation can be justified in many cases,  concerns can be raised regarding their uniform application without involving discretion regardless, among others factors, of the differences in the economic situation of the farmers.

• The Legal Status of Titanic

  8-18

  Erzsébet Csatlós

  Views:

  354

  It has been ten decades now since the luxurious, unsinkable ship started its first and last voyage. The centenary of the tragedy has put ancient shipwrecks into the centre of attention and denoted the legal gaps and anomalies of national and international legal efforts to regulate their legal status and to protect them from treasure hunters. The essay aims to define the legal status of R.M.S. Titanic as being one of the most famous shipwrecks of our time, its story and legal situation might be the object-lesson for the problems and deficiencies of the legal issue of international protection of underwater cultural heritage, the sovereignty and ownership of historical objects found at sea and the anomalies of customary international law concerning shipwrecks.

• Environmental Liability Law: Environmental Civil Experts’ view

  86-112

  Sándor Fülöp

  Views:

  269

  Environmental liability legislation, both the ELD in Europe and CERCLA in US, is burdened with significant compromises, but even if so, they are too leniently implemented. Moreover, rather scarce data are available on the liability cases and on the status of polluted sites, therefore the system is unable to amend itself. There is no reason to be surprised: expenses of protection or remedy of the polluted sites are enormous, the concerned industries would get into a poor competition position in the market if faced with too stringent liability. In the exceptional cases when their deeds are revealed and enforcement actions start, they still might retreat behind the bastions of limited responsibility of their companies. In such situations public participation is a vital element of any progressive outcomes. In the present study we examine the efforts of J&E, a network of public interest environmental lawyers to contribute to moving out the European environmental liability systems from their stalemate position and enhance their effectiveness.

• The New Zealand concept of the legal personality of water and its applicability in Hungarian legal order, especially in connection with lake Balaton

  9-23

  János Ede Szilágyi

  Views:

  251

  The present article concentrates on two aspects of the legal personality of water. First, it deals with the national legislation of New Zealand, especially the „Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017”, in which the legislator granted legal personality to the Whanganui River. Second, the article focuses on a Hungarian initiative concerning the establishment of a legal personality for the biggest Hungarian lake, i.e. Lake Balaton. Is it a real alternative to renew the legal protection of the environment in the Hungarian law? The article tries to launch a theoretical and practical dispute on the topic.