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The New Zealand concept of the legal personality of water and its applicability in Hungarian legal order, especially in connection with lake Balaton
9-23Views:141The 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.
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Collision of Judicial Opinions in the Practice of the Curia
Views:30This article examines the 2/2022 PJE Unity Decision of the Curia from the perspective of divergent theoretical and dogmatical views expressed in minority opinions. The case study compares the dissenting opinions and the majority opinion of the judges and aims at demonstrating the fact that theoretical disagreement between judges has a huge impact on legal practice and on the issue of how judges decide cases. The hypothesis of the article is that – in hard legal cases – the reason for the differing opinions is the different theoretical convictions of judges. It seems evident that two legal practitioners, who have different views on cardinal issues of law, such as the concept or the purpose of law, interpret legal norms differently. Using the method of qualitative case analysis, the article analyses the arguments appearing in the justification of the decision.
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Editorial Preface
7-8Views:85The twenty-fifth issue of our journal is now in the hands of the esteemed reader. Already at the beginning of Pro Futuro, our editorial board set the goal of publishing issues in English from time to time. In 2019, we finally had the opportunity to do so, and we issued a call to the Hungarian professional audience to submit manuscripts in English. In 2021, we can now publish our third issue in English. We selected eight of the works received and edited them in the fourth issue of the journal in 2020.
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The Right to Maintain Contact within the Context of Fundamental and Personality Rights
Views:633It is self-evident that parents play an irreplaceable role in the lives of their children, influencing the child's physical, mental, and emotional well-being and behavior. It is therefore necessary that children maintain personal relations and direct contact with each parent, even if the marriage of his/her parents is permanently and irreparably damaged. The right to contact, which has a strong legal foundation in international conventions, is traditionally described as a right of the child, despite the fact that contact between parent and child is both a right and obligation of mothers, fathers and children. The right to contact is a Janus-faced, complex legal institution: although it is largely based on the fundamental right to private and family life guaranteed by constitutional norms, it plays a significant role in private law disputes as well. The aim of this article is to present the place of the right to contact within the Hungarian legal regime, emphasizing the enforcement of this right in the field of protection of basic and personality rights.
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Minority Rights and the European Court of Human Rights
138-160Views:166This paper aims to present the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding minorities’ rights. Even though minority rights as such are not listed in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the ECtHR has developed an evolving minority rights protection under it. This paper describes the concrete cases of minority rights protection and shows how the case law evolved throughout the years. The ECtHR recognized the right to self-identification, the right to culture, the right to use minority languages, the right of assembly and the freedom of expression regarding minorities. This paper argues that there might be a shift towards a greater diversity protection in the future under the ECHR.
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The Observation, Review, and Possible Modification of the EU Environmental Liability Directive in Hungary
29-41Views:173The main secondary legal source of environmental liability in the European Union is the Directive 2004/35/CE of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage. Even though it was modified several times since then, it still remains the basic norm in the environmental field by establishing the regulatory frames by means of the polluter pays principle and the principle of prevention. The present study makes an overview of recent and potential further legislative steps in Hungary with regards to its implementation.
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Editorial
Views:173In the preface, the content of the given issue is described by the editor in the form of 5-6 line article descriptions (annotations). In addition to the latest changes to the journal, here is the explanation of the Latin phrase on the back cover.
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The New Hungarian regulation of Working Time, Rest Periods and Paid Leave in the Light of the Workers’ Interests
31-47Views:420The paper consists of three parts. The first part introduces the multiple changes – mostly in the favour of employers – in regulation in Hungarian labour law based on the Working Time Directive. The newest idea is also connected to these changes because the reference period may be significantly extended in Hungarian law even a longer period is planned than in the directive. In the second part I analyse the relevant regulation from a critical point of view pointing out the lack of some clear concepts in the Hungarian regulation. The paper highlights the following: at several employers the workplace and the employees’ place of residence were near to each other but nowadays these workplaces are changed and the employees need to take much more time-consuming trips to the actual workplace. the third part examines the relevant case-law of the CJEU.
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Editorial Preface
9Views:118In the preface, the content of the given issue is described by the editor. In addition to the latest changes to the journal, here is the explanation of the Latin phrase on the back cover.
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A Case Study on the Interaction Between the General Data Protection Regulation and Artificial Intelligence Technologies
45-57Views:208This paper presents a general overview of the problems regarding the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) raised in the official published works of the European Union (EU) and interprets these problems from the perspective of the Hungarian experts as a case study. Even though a new regulation on AI has already been proposed at the EU level, the paper evaluates specific rules and principles regarding data protection since data is the lifeblood of AI systems and the protection of such data is a fundamental right enshrined in the EU legislation via the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The result of the study shows that the application of the GDPR on AI systems in an efficient and uniform way might be at stake since different outputs were generated by the experts to the same legal questions deriving from a scenario presented.
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The Past, Present, and Future of Environmental Policy (Book re- view)
184-196Views:124This is a book review from the book title "Why Environmental Policies Fail", the author is Jan Laitos (University of Denver Strum College of Law, 2017.)
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Hungarian legislative changes induced by the case-law of European Court of Human Rights
109-122Views:144Indisputably, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has an effect on national legal systems. In this study I examine the type of this effect in the Hungarian legal system through the case law of the year 2014, and as an outcome, I would like to demonstrate that the ECtHR has both direct and indirect impacts on the national legislation in Hungary. As a result of the judgments’ direct impact, changes are made in the national legislation, meanwhile the indirect impact can only be detected in the decisions of the Hungarian Constitutional Court or domestic courts. Obviously, the direct impact is the most significant and most noticeable, however, the significance of indirect impact has been gradually increasing in the recent period. Based on this idea, I would like to point out that both effects are present in the Hungarian legislation, and seem to show an increasing trend, although the judicial bodies mean an exception in this practice. Nonetheless, according to the European practice, the judicial bodies will most likely refer to the international norm and the case law of the ECtHR in the near future.
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The Challenges of Cryptocurrencies in Substantive Criminal Law and Procedure
79-98Views:905The legal status of cryptocurrencies is a gray area in most legal systems, although criminals increasingly abuse cryptocurrencies to fund criminal activities. The study analyses solely the criminal use of cryptocurrencies. For example money launderers have evolved to use cryptocurrencies in their operations, therefore legislative changes at EU level, or the uniform application of existing anti-money laundering regulations have been required. In a trend mirroring attacks on banks and their customers, cryptocurrency users and exchangers have become victims of cybercrimes themselves. Conventional crimes may be committed via cryptocurrencies such as fraud and extortion. Darknet criminal markets use cryptocurrencies as payment instruments since they offer better anonimity and some of them greater privacy. They are less traceable and their decentralised system challenges law enforcement.
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Regulatory Proposal of the Ombudsman for Future Generations
10-28Views:206The most important provisions of environmental liability are available, but the effective enforcement still requires the regulation of several legal conditions. The ombudsman for future generations, following a wide professional and social coordination issued a complex regulatory proposal. The proposal is based upon the EU Environmental Liability Directive within the framework of the existing liability scheme, with a broader understanding of liability, and with the most inclusive approach of the polluter pays principle. Among other elements it covers the financial guarantees, the formation of the financial coverage of state intervention, the implementation of environmental liability attached to the real estates, the availability of and access to the environmental information, the more effective enforcement of environmental liability, and also the setting of conditions of implementation within public administration. The main objective is to promote responsible environmental behaviour.
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Claims for Compensation Based on the Infringement of Regulations Applicable to Procurement Procedures
11-30Views:141The study is concerned with those claims for compensation, which are based on the infringement of regulations applicable to procurement procedures. After the placing of the compensation within the public procurement remedy system, we outline those conducts, which can cause damage in the course of the public procurement procedure (e.g. contracting authority’s withdrawal from the public procurement, unlawful withdrawal of the tender, failing of contract conclusion, etc.). during the review of these cases, we heighten the differences existing between the classical civil law claims and the claims based on the infringement of public procurement rules.
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The 1580 Political Ordinance of the States of Holland and West Friesland: Certain Examples of its Influence in the English-Speaking World
78-88Views:171The present study deals with certain influences the 1580 Political Ordinance of the States of Holland and West Friesland had in the English-speaking world, specifically in relation to the Plymouth Colony in the present-day Commonwealth of Massachusetts and South Africa. Regarding the former, there is a survey of the introduction of the institution of civil marriage by the Pilgrims at the Plymouth Colony and the Dutch background to this particular development. In relation to South Africa, there is an analysis of the lack of intestacy inheritance between spouses in that country in the past due to the system of inheritance rooted in the 1580 Political Ordinance, and the changes that took place in connection to this with the passing of time.
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Implementation of the European Small Claims Procedure in the Member States of the European Union
41-59Views:125It has been seven years since the european Small Claims Procedure was introduced as a sui generis european procedure and an alternative to existing national civil procedures. However, it works in close interaction with national laws, as the regulation leaves many aspects of the procedure to national legislation. The article analyzes the legal instruments that serve the implementation of regulation 861/2007/ EC in member states, particularly the issues of mutual recognition and enforcement of ESC judgments, communication between the court and the parties, review and appeal of the judgment, and other specific issues. It concludes that knowledge of national procedural law is often vital to succeed in an ESC procedure in a foreign country. Smooth and efficient functioning of the procedure requires cooperation mechanisms not only among member states, but also among judges, lawyers, and enforcement officers.
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Messages of German and Italian Identity Parades
78-89Views:76All criminal justice systems in rule-of-law states attempt to prevent justizmord cases. Unfortunately, this intention is not always successful. This statement is illustrated by both Hungarian and foreign examples. Both Hungarian and international scientific research reveals that the identity parade (line-up) method plays a key role in the miscarriage of justice cases. So it is important (basic)/vital interest to prepare preventing methods in this field, or to reveal/disclose the causes of final serious mistakes. For this purpose, the author examines the identity practical method and legal (police) rules in Germany and Italy. At the end of the study, the author formulates the potential legal and criminalistic/forensic development possibilities, the lessons and his conclusions for the powerful/efficient and fair criminal procedure rules and for better law enforcement practice.
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Judicial Review in Emergency Situations: the Relevant Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights
200-218Views:127Emergencies are mostly sudden, and in most cases states need special measures to deal with them. For this reason liberal democracies have standing constitutional or special legal powers to derogate human rights for the sake of order. Those democracies that do not have such powers, use impromptu ones. It is possible for authoritarian governments to abuse emergency powers in order to stay in power, to derogate human rights and to silence the opposition. Therefore it is essential for a liberal democracy to have strict limits for the duration, circumstance and scope of emergency powers. There are human rights regimes (for example: the European Convention on Human Rights) which have to respect the member states’ duty and responsibility in such cases. This article tries to examine this special case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The question is whether a European Human Rights regime is capable of becoming the guardian of human rights in cases of national emergencies, or the sovereignty of states also means that there is very narrow margin to prove legality above security?
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Some Legal Challenges of Digital Inheritance with Special Regard to Privacy
84-98Views:261Digital inheritance, because of its complexity, cannot be considered uniformly. The elements of digital inheritance which can be considered as property are regulated by the law of succession. The personal elements of the digital inheritance are regulated by the right in memoriam and data protection laws. In the current Hungarian legal system the amendment of Act no. CXII of 2011 on the Right of Informational Self-Determination put the post-mortem privacy principle into regulatory form, in addition to the right to respect for the deceased which provides legal protection against violation of the memory of a deceased person.
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PhD Studies in Law in Hungary–Difficulties and Possibilities (Before the 9th Academic Year of Géza Marton Doctoral School of Legal Studies)
38-53Views:108In this study the authors (Gábor Kecskés as the secretary of Doctoral School of Legal Studies at István Széchenyi University and Sándor Szemesi as the secretary of Géza Marton Doctoral School of Legal Studies at Debrecen University) examine the legal framework concerning doctoral schools of legal studies in Hungary as well as the specialties (and realities) of Géza Marton Doctoral School at Debrecen University. One of the main purposes of this article is to salute the beginning of the 100th academic year at Debrecen University, additionally the article tries to introduce how doctoral schools can fulfil the continuously changing (more precisely, tightening) requirements of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee, taking into consideration the unwritten expectations as well as the general interests of the host universities and the doctoral school itself.
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The Nature of the EU Labour Market and Its Regulations
89-104Views:157Labour market regulation to prevent labour migration easily becomes protectionist, thus violating the rights of migrant workers. This paper focuses especially on the role of the labour market regulations relating to migrant workers in the EU. General labour market regulations will be analysed in the first section. When we talk about the labour market, the regulations will be assessed as to whether they are strong or not and to what extent the workers will get their rights protected. EU labour migration is large around the world and can be handled with labour legislation and the labour market. Therefore, EU labour market regulations and policies, especially active labour market policies, are analysed in this paper.
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Luxembourg v Strasbourg – Legal Impediments in the Process of the Accession of the EU to the ECHR
101-119Views:117The accession of the European Union (EU) to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) has been on the agenda of the EU for long. Although the Lisbon Treaty settles this question in theory by obliging the EU to accede, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) resorted to its rights laid down in the Treaties and published its Opinion 2/13 on the matter by the full Court. This opinion scrutinizes the draft document concerning accession. According to the opinion the EU cannot accede to the ECHR in the present form because the draft document is not in compliance with the special characteristics and features of EU law, therefore it would require the amendment or reorganisation of the whole EU legal system. By this judgement the ECJ outlines the legal impediments in the way of the accession. The main objective of our article – after summarizing the brief history and legal framework of the accession – is to present and evaluate the critical elements of accession determined by the ECJ and predict the decision’s possible consequences.
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Changes of substantive and procedural law concerning the register of non-governmental organizations
148-163Views:123Provisions concerning the societies and foundations raise difficulties for judges, lawyers and judicial staff proceeding in the interest of registration of non-governmental organizations for a long time. The study examines the registration of non- governmental organizations with a view to provisions of substantive and procedural law and attempts to demonstrate problems being the cause of legal uncertainty. Finally the author puts forward a proposal for correction of regulation concerning the non-governmental organizations and suggests introducing methods in the interest of predictable application of law.