Hungary: Constitutional (R)evolution or Regression?

Abstract

In the case of Hungary, from the perspective of constitutional law it is important to draw the attention of the reader to two distinct periods in the development of Hungarian constitutionalism: the period from the beginning of the post-communist constitutional reforms up to 2010, and the subsequent change of direction that was marked by the preparation and adoption of the new Fundamental Law in 2012. The post-2010 period has been described as one of ‘illiberal constitutionalism’,and caused widespread concern amongst EU and Council of Europe institutions as well as other Member States. The Hungarian report to this volume focuses on the post-2010 period.