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The Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Cultural Identity in the Case-law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
145-163Views:245The present paper examines the protection of cultural identity in the case-law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), where this question has primarily been dealt with in connection with the rights of indigenous peoples. Although not expressly guaranteed in the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR), the right to cultural identity is found to be protected in the treaty due to the IACHR’s evolutionary interpretation of the right to life and the right to property, as well as other first-generation human rights contained in the ACHR. Issued in the Spring of 2020, the IACHR decision in the case Lhaka Honhat vs Argentina puts into a new perspective the protection of the right to cultural identity. Unlike before, it was clearly established that cultural rights are autonomous and judicially enforceable under Article 26 of the ACHR. At the same time, the ICHR’s revolutionary approach provides new opportunities for the judicial protection of environmental rights claims based on Article 26 of the ACHR as well.
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Imposing Punishments in Practice: The Practice of Imposing Sentences on Drink Driving Based on File Research
114-132Views:195I researched the practice of imposing punishments on drink driving in the area of authority of the Court of Debrecen, as a major part of a comprehensive study of the imposition of sentences. The main aim of the research was to collect data about the imposition practice regarding offences which are committed en masse, and result in uncomplicated judgements. Another aim was to study how detailed was the exploration of the factors concerning the personality of the offender, and to what extent the judge could take into account such information during the individualised imposition process. This study describes the results of the file research, primarily focusing on the observations regarding the imposition of certain types of sanctions.
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Editorial
7-9Views:107In 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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Looking for Solutions of the Hungarian Legislation of Public Procurement
24-46Views:109The Hungarian public procurement law will be renewed from 1th January 2012. Because of the new Act on Public Procurement (PPA) the development of the legislation of the last years should be reviewed. What kind of problems did the legislature have to solve? How could the specificities of an adequate public procurement act be defined? How does the judicature affect the legislature? This study tries to give answers from the point of view of the judicature. It examines the results of legislation, the experiences of practice, the earlier amendments and the most essential attributes of the new PPA.
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Agricultural irrigation in Hungary, with special regards to the water resources levy and agricultural water supply fee
46-61Views:165The 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.
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Punishable Children
97-111Views:194In Hungary from the 1990s in line with the international tendencies a number of studies were published in the literature urging the reform of the criminal law dealing with juvenile crime. Simultaneously one can establish that among others due to the increasing criminal rate the reasoning for the reduction of the lower age limit of punishability to the age of 12 has started. During the codification process a number of arguments were given for and against the alteration of the age limit of punishability. However setting the lower age limit of punishability below fourteen can be found in the criminal law regulations of Hungary and also of other European countries. This paper examines the antecedents, reasons and possible amendments of the regulation of the new Criminal Code on the age of punishability.
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Editorial
7-9Views:87In 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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Environmental Mediation in Germany
60-77Views:121It has always been a difficult question for the State to ensure effective decision-making processes for instances where public participation is considered to be a requirement. This question might be even more essential when it comes to disputes concerning large-scale projects with environmental impact. When the public is affected by such project, the contractor must be really prudent, otherwise high number of litigation may be initiated afterwards. The very special form of mediation, the so-called environmental mediation may offer a solution to this problem, by allowing all participants to meet and discuss every crucial issues related to projects described above. It is also important to emphasize that not the same requirements apply to environmental mediation and to other civil law related mediation procedures. The aim of environmental mediation would not be less than to improve the quality of public bodies’ decisions.
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Book Review: Sipka Péter: Employer’s Liability in Theory and Practice
171-178Views:73Péter Sipka’s book was published in 2021 by HVG-ORAC under the title “Employer’s Liability in Theory and Practice”. On the one hand the author analyses the system of liability in depth, on the other hand the author widely describes the court decisions. Thanks to the monograph the reader can get to know the legal institution of employer’s liability for damage to employee’s health in its complexity. In addition to the examination of labor law, the connections between occupational safety and social security are also described.
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Environmental Liability Law: Environmental Civil Experts’ view
86-112Views:135Environmental 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.
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New attempts in EU law for the improvement of the consular protection of EU citizens in third countries
9-23Views:123The right of EU citizens to consular protection in third countries, where their Member State is not represented, is one of the most significant rights attached to the European citizenship. With the existing legal basis laid down in the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the right to consular protection of EU citizens has all the conceivable chances to be established uniformly by union actions and under the supervision of the European Court of Justice. The aim of the Council Directive (EU) 2015/637 is to lay down the cooperation and coordination measures necessary to further facilitate consular protection to unrepresented citizens of the European Union. Nevertheless the directive does not affect consular relations between Member States and third countries. The present paper focuses on the actions had been taken in this field from the treaty establishing the European Economic Community until the achievements of the Treaty of Lisbon and the aforementioned Council Directive.
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Editorial
7-8Views:126In 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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Social Psychology of Law
158-162Views:214Book review on the book Hunyady György–Berkics Mihály (szerk.): A jog szociálpszichológiája – A hiányzó láncszem. ELTE Eötvös Kiadó, Budapest, 2015.
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Energy audit: EU-Law and its implementation in Germany
29-41Views:179The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) No. 2012/27/EU establishes a set of binding measures to help the EU to reach its 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. Energy audits are an essential tool to achieve adequate energy savings (see art. 8. EED). The current study focuses on the EU legal requirement on Energy Audits and its implementation in Germany by the 2015 amended Act on Energy Services and other Energy Efficiency Measures (Gesetz über Energiedienstleistungen und andere Energieeffizienzmaßnahmen – EDL-G). The analysis is still relevant because of the infringement proceedings against Germany by the European Commission based on fragmentary transposition of the EED.
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The Importance of Health and Safety in the Liability of Employers for Damages
175-191Views:207Employers are deemed responsible for the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. This study's focus is the exemption from liability based on the foreseeability principle introduced to the Labour Code in 2012. Despite the proclaimed policy change, courts have remained reluctant to grant immunity to employers based on Article 166 of the Labour Code in case of workplace accidents. The uncertainty of interpretation hinders the execution of the new policy and questions the importance of proper health and safety measures implemented by employers to avoid liability. The study focuses on recent case law and employers' practice. The first part analyses the conclusions establishing business decisions of the employers, further investigating the cost performance conduct: pay a fine or spend on safety and health measures. The second part of the study examines cases related to workplace accidents, which are divided into five groups. This group's special attention given to liability in case of extreme weather conditions, third-party accidents, work safety rule violations, accidents, employers' inspection obligations, and other cases.
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Approaching Possibilities of Quasi-Judicial Functions
120-135Views:93This article is about the possibilities of Quasi-Judicial Functions. The author bound administrative jurisdiction from court law enforcement.
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Risks and Adverse Effects: Decisions of the Italian Constitutional Court on the Compulsory COVID-19 Vaccination
102-127Views:203In recent years, several judicial and constitutional court decisions have been handed down worldwide on the legality and constitutionality of the fundamental rights restrictive measures (including compulsory vaccination) imposed during the pandemic. Aside from Austria, Italy has imposed compulsory vaccination more widely than any other European country; moreover, the lack of vaccination has made it impossible for citizens to live their daily lives to such an extent that some scholars have even written of de facto compulsory vaccination. In December 2022, the Italian Constitutional Court ruled in three judgments against the petitions related to compulsory vaccination. After outlining the legal context and the scholars’ positions on mandatory Covid vaccination, this paper examines these decisions, focusing on the arguments on which the Court saw justification for compulsory vaccination.
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A Cutting-Edge” Criminal Procedure? : Some Reflections on the Modernization of Hungarian Criminal Procedure Law
11-36.Views:263The study analyses the new Hungarian Criminal Procedure Act that entered into force in the summer of 2018. One aspect of the analysis is whether certain institutions of the law fulfil the constitutional requirements of criminal procedure. The other aspect is a sociological one. The past decades have brought many new developments in the field of society, economy and technology. The study, therefore, also revolves around the question of whether the new Criminal Procedure Act provides an adequate response to these challenges. The main finding of the study is that the legislation made the first steps in the right direction, however it did not introduce all the changes that would be necessary for a fair and modern criminal procedure. Besides, the act reflects predominantly the interests of the authorities while the rights and interests of other participants of the criminal procedure are not taken into consideration with the same weight
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The Effect of the Nagoya Protocol in the Fight Against Biopiracy: Results and Challenges
11-39Views:172The Nagoya Protocol, which aims to enable the countries of origin to benefit from the utilization of their genetic resources they make available, entered into force in 2014. The present study examines the extent to which the Protocol has since proven to be an effective tool in curbing biopiracy, the most common problems that arise in this regard, and the conditions for more effective application.
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The Concept of the Responsibility to Protect, Is There Anything New under the Sun?
67-78Views:183The concept of the responsibility to protect has emerged in the practice of the United Nations in the past years, inducing much criticism in the literature. The aim of the author was to present the concept in Hungarian and to analyze it from international legal point of view. According to the author the concept is just a paraphrased principle, responsibility has already existed under the relevant norms of international law. Nevertheless, the content of the obligation and responsibility is not fully clear, especially with respect to the exact meaning of prevention.
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Municipal Environmental Protection from a German Point of View
159-165Views:182Book review on Hebeler, Timo–Hendler, Reinhard–Proelβ, Alexander–Reiff, Peter (Hrsg.): Kommunaler Umweltschutz. 30. Trierer Kolloquium zum Umwelt- und Technikrecht vom 4. bis 5. September 2014. UTR Band 128, Erich Schmidt Verlag, Berlin, 2015.
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Likeness of Police Officers: Freedom of the Press and the Right to Facial Likeness at the Crossroads of Civil and Fundamental Rights
110-128Views:161The Constitutional Court of Hungary, proceeding in its new competence regarding the „real” constitutional complaint obtained from 1 January 2012, is allowed to adjudicate the motions initiated against concrete judicial decisions which are deemed to be contrary to the Fundamental Law of Hungary. Within this procedure the Constitutional Court places the protection of the freedom of expression and freedom of the press above the protection of personality rights. The Court consistently annuls judicial decisions that declare infringement of personality rights on grounds that a press agency published recognizable facial likeness of police officers being on duty during demonstrations. The present paper analyses the course during which the Constitutional Court does enforce the constitutional requirements elaborated in its former practice and, thereby, repeals the ordinary courts’ decisions if those favour the personality rights of police officers over the freedom of the press.
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Kelet és Nyugat között: Örményország és Szerbia az európai és eurázsiai integrációban
96-106Views:336Kelet-Európában megfigyelhető, hogy egyes államok két jelentős regionális integrációs szervezettel is kapcsolatok kiépítésére törekednek: az Európai Unióval és az Eurázsiai Gazdasági Unióval. A két szervezet bizonyos értelemben egymás versenytársa, ugyanis mindkettő igyekszik saját szervezetét vonzóvá tenni az érintett államok számára. Vannak azonban olyan kelet-európai államok, amelyek elköteleződnek amellett, hogy az egyik szervezettel mélyebb együttműködést alakítsanak ki, ugyanakkor megpróbálják a másikkal is fenntartani, sőt akár szorosabbra fűzni kapcsolataikat. Jelen tanulmány célja, hogy ezeket a folyamatokat Örményország és Szerbia példáján mutassa be.
Örményország teljes jogú tagként csatlakozott az Eurázsiai Gazdasági Unióhoz, ugyanakkor az Európai Unióval is kapcsolatokat épített ki: 2017-ben átfogó és megerősített partnerségi megállapodást kötöttek. Szerbia ezzel szemben az Európai Unió tagjelölt állama, amely már megkezdte a csatlakozási tárgyalásokat is. Emellett azonban fenntartja szoros kapcsolatait az Eurázsiai Gazdasági Unióval olyannyira, hogy egy szabadkereskedelmi megállapodásról folynak köztük a tárgyalások. Mindkét államra igaz tehát, hogy eredetileg egyértelműen elköteleződtek valamelyik regionális integrációs szervezet irányába, ugyanakkor a másik szervezettel is a kapcsolatok mélyítésére törekednek. Jelen tanulmány e kapcsolatok alakulását tekinti át, bemutatva az Eurázsiai Gazdasági Unió létrejöttét és intézményi sajátosságait is.
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Rest Periods in EU Labour Law
Views:28The paper aims to approach the dilemmas of EU working time rules from the novel perspective of rest periods. It examines the functions and nature of rest periods in EU law, with special regard to the ECJ’s recent judgment in the MÁV-Start case (C-477/21). The analysis tackles the question whether rest periods should be regarded as a right or an obligation of the worker and visits the issue of the possible role of a separate right to disconnect. The analysis ends with some conclusions.
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The Constitutional Obstacles before the Promulgation of the Rome Statute
45-59Views:322July 17, 1998, can be considered as one of the most important milestones of the international judicial structure: it is the day when the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court was adopted by 120 states out of 148. Article 86 of Statute explicitly states that „States Parties shall […] cooperate fully with the Court in its investigation and prosecution of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.” As in the case of every international treaty, the principle of pacta sunt servanda enshrined in Article 26 of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of the Treaties states applies, which explicitly states that “every treaty in force is binding upon the parties to it and must be performed by them in good faith.” As has been pointed out by the Permanent Court of International Justice, contracting states must make all the necessary internal measures which are required to fulfil its international obligations rising from a binding treaty. One could ask, why is this quite obvious argument important in the case of Hungary? Well, Hungary has ratified the Statute but still has not implemented it in its internal legislation. This can be considered as a serious constitutional omission, since if the Court would require the cooperation of Hungary – e.g. in the case of an arrest warrant – and it would not be able to fulfil it because of the lack of the internal legal norms, it would be considered as international legal responsibility of Hungary. In this article, I try to explore the reasons behind this omission and outline the possible solutions.