Veronika Bakonyi and Beatrix Berkes have been promoted to Partner at Gardos Mosonyi Tomori Law Office, while former Raiffeisen Bank Chief Legal Counsel Zita Tihanyi joins the firm as Partner.

An amendment to the Medicines Thrift Act XCVIII of 2006, which came into effect in early 2022, has effectively eliminated what was fast becoming a booming market in the home delivery of over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal products and medical aids.

Environmental sustainability is essential to mitigate the risks of climate change. In order to promote this and develop a green economy, it is essential to secure adequate financing from the private sector. To this end, banks have started making available financial products for environmentally sustainable purposes.

The European Data Protection Supervisor (“EDPS”) has issued a decision after a complaint was filed against the European Parliament (“Parliament”) due to unlawful data transfer to the US, a deceptive cookie banner and unclear data protection notices.

The upcoming Hungarian parliamentary election, scheduled on April 3, 2022, is one of the most pressing political issues, as united opposition parties are competing against the ruling party, according to Kapolyi Law Firm Managing Partner Jozsef Kapolyi.

Government Decree 598/2021 (the Decree) has allowed employers to order their employees to be vaccinated against covid-19 since 15 November 2021. Since it came into force, the Decree has been the subject of much discussion and interpretation by legal practitioners and commentators.

On June 4, 2021, CEE Legal Matters reported that Zavisin Semiz & Partneri and the Budapest office of Dentons advised GTC on the Serbian legal aspects of the deal. CEE In-House Matters spoke with Klara Bujdoso, Group Legal Counsel at GTC, to learn more about the sale.

Dentons has appointed Gabor Kiraly as the new Country Managing Officer in Hungary effective January 1, 2022.

In the past years, several new EU Member States have started investigations regarding the quality of products. Investigations showed that in many cases products have more detailed descriptions attached, or simply have more active substance if they are sold in the Western Member States than in the Central and Eastern European Member States. It was suspected for a long time that there are quality differences between the same products, sold in the same packaging but in different countries.

Former Attorney-at-Law Peter Weidinger has been promoted to Partner at Act Ban & Karika Attorneys at Law, starting from January 1, 2022.

On 14 December 2021 certain acts of agricultural subject were amended by the Hungarian Parliament, affecting inter alia the Act on Protection, Management of Wildlife and Hunting, the Forest Act, the Act on Transactions in Agricultural and Forestry Land (Land Transactions Act) and the Act on the Termination of the Undivided Joint Ownership on lands.

Several modifications of the company rules in the Hungarian Civil Code entered into force with effect of 1 January 2022. One of the most important changes is that the rules on additional payment (in Hungarian: “potbefizetes”), which were applicable only for limited liability companies, have been transferred to the common rules of companies, resulting in that the possibility to require additional payment from the members is available also for general partnerships, limited partnerships and private limited companies.

Mark Twain famously said "Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well." Although procrastination usually does not have serious consequences, careful consideration is needed when enforcing IP rights. In its recent decision in case C‑186/18, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") concluded that an unjustified delay in enforcing IP rights may result in the loss of a large part of the claim due to time-limitation.

At the beginning of November 2021, a bill was submitted to the Hungarian Parliament on the temporary provisions relating to the new Land Registry Act and on the amendment of certain acts of cultural subject and relating to the land registry, spatial planning (in Hungarian: “teruletrendezes”) and urban planning (in Hungarian: “telepulesrendezes”).

In order to respond quickly to the challenges caused by the pandemic in the workplaces, the Hungarian Government introduced temporary regulation on teleworking in 2020. Since these provisions are applicable only during the state of emergency, the modification of the Labour Code and the Act on Safety at Work are on agenda with the aim of clarifying the provisions on teleworking on a permanent basis. The proposed modification is in line with the rules on teleworking specified in the Government decrees currently in force.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) confirmed once again that VAT deduction is fundamental part of the VAT mechanism and thus can only be narrowly restricted or limited.

Mihály Varga, Minister of Finance of Hungary has introduced many changes in tax legislation as of 1 January 2022 with an estimated HUF 750 billion to be left at the private sector. According to the statement of the Minister, tax reductions became achievable, as the economic growth of Hungary rose over 6,1%.

Contributed by Nagy es Trocsanyi.