Introduction to Hungarian law

It is the intention that the following work is to be a part of the series of introductory books to the laws of various countries. The whole project is intended to prepare books which follow basically the same plan for each country. The books in the series are not designed to be definitive texts of the law of any country. Rather, they will attempt to provide academics, lawyers, businessmen, administrators, government officials, students and others with the basic knowledge of legal concepts of the country in broader terms, with special emphasis on practical issues, so that the interested persons will be able to understand the system and pursue research on special legal problems by knowing the proper questions to ask and the proper place to find the answer. With this volume on Hungarian law we include an Eastern European country in our Introduction series for the first time. This book, however, diverges somewhat from the uniform pattern which has been followed in the series. There is more history and there are more predictions for the future. This is mainly because Hungary has chosen a new form of state only a few years ago. The legal system and the laws of the country are in a stage of adaptation. The historical connection to the Civil law world however, is enabling Hungary to overcome the legal gap caused by political developments after the Second World War in a relatively short period of time. We trust that the book will give insight into the present Hungarian law and the enormous legal developments accomplished in Hungary, which is on its way to becoming a full member of the European Union in the near future. (...) The historic changes which took place in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s resulted in a genuine revolution. The ancienne regime was replaced in all major legal fields; from constitutional law principles, through to property and entrepreneurial structures, down to contract law and business law relationships. This is not to mention the position and participation of the relevant countries in the various regulatory systems. Although some countries achieved these changes by armed conflict, this revolution materialized basically by law, via the legally agreed and enforced consensus and practice of the major social and political forces of the countries concerned. As a consequence, legally speaking (or im Rechtssinne, as the German formulation goes), the revolution emerged as a gradual transition process in most countries - with the notable exceptions of the former GDR and the former Soviet Union.