Protection of the Environment in National Constitutional Law in Light of the Jurisdiction of the ECtHR – A Hungarian Perspective

Abstract

The article gives a comparative analysis of the protection of the environment in the European human rights framework and at the constitutional level through the example of Hungary. The contribution analyses two judgments of the ECtHR in connection with the country and presents the Hungarian constitutional framework for the protection of the environment. The starting point of the analysis is the fact that the different levels of regulations – international and national – tend to focus on different aspects of protection, yet they significantly influence each other. The presentation of the two Hungarian cases is particularly topical in light of the fact that the Fundamental Law of Hungary, which introduced several unique provisions for the protection of the environment, was adopted between the finalisation of the two judgments.