National Council on the Environment (OKT)

Országos Környezetvédelmi Tanács

Articles of Act LIII of 1995 on the General Rules of Environmental Protection relating to the
National Environmental Council and its operation

The Enforcement of Environmental Protection in Regulations and Other State Decisions

§ 43 (1) Legislators of bills and other regulations (hereinafter, jointly: law) relating to environmental protection, of national social-economic plans, regional policy concepts and decisions with regional impact (hereinafter jointly: decisions) shall be obliged to assess the impacts of measures on the environment and to summarise them in assessment analysis (hereinafter: assessment analysis).

(2) In the application of paragraph (1), regulation concerning environmental protection shall be acts, governmental decrees, ministerial decrees which have impacts on

(3) Assessment analysis must be carried in all cases of regulations and significant amendments aimed at the introduction of economic regulatory instruments relating to environmental protection (duty-, tax- and levy rules, etc.).

§ 44 (1) The assessment analysis shall cover, in particular, the following:

  1. to what extent the planned regulations and measures impact or may improve the state of the environment;

  2. to what extent the environment or the population is damaged if the planned measures are not taken;

  3. to what extent domestic conditions exist to introduce the planned measures;

  4. to what extent the public administration organs are prepared to execute the planned measures;

  5. whether state, financial, organisational and procedural conditions are available for the implementation of the planned measures;

  6. to what extent the proposal differs from the internationally generally adopted solutions.

(2) The drafts and assessment analysis specified in § 43 (1) – before submission to the decision-making organs – shall be sent to the National Environmental Council asking its opinion. At least thirty days – from the date of delivery – shall be provided for formulating the opinion.

 

National Environmental Council

§ 45 (1) A National Environmental Council (hereinafter: Council) with at most 22 members shall operate in order to provide wide-ranging social, scientific, and professional foundation for environmental protection.

(2) The Council, during the Government’s term, as its advisory organ, shall take up positions on matters of principle of different environmental programs, on regulations and decisions relating to environmental protection (§ 43) and on other environmental issues. The Council shall submit its positions relating to decisions in the jurisdiction of the National Assembly or the Government to the Government.

(3) The following shall participate in the Council in equal proportion:

  1. non-governmental organisation registered with environmental goal, and

  2. representatives of professional and industrial advocacy organs elected according to their own rules,

  3. representatives of scientific life delegated by the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

(4) The council shall perform the tasks of its secretariat through the office of the minister

(5) The Council shall elect a chairman from among its members, the minister representing the Government shall be co-chairman of the Council.

(6) The Council shall perform its tasks specified by this act according to the rules of this act, concerning its other activities it shall determine its own procedural rules.

(7) The operation costs of the Council shall be provided for in the budget of the ministry in charge of environmental protection, under a separate title.

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