Reflections on Hungarian administrative law

Abstract

When we talk and write about (Hungarian) administrative law, we take the content of this concept almost for granted, as the scientific and professional public dealing with public administration and administrative law "tend" to regard it as a kind of common agreement. However, if we approach the definition of administrative law with a consistent analytical approach, we may easily encounter difficulties in defining the content and elements of this basic concept. In this paper, I would like to contribute to the clarification of the concept and, on the other hand, to formulate my observations on the current 'characteristics' of Hungarian administrative law along the lines of this methodology. The most important units of my analysis are the substantive, formal, organisational and personnel parts of Hungarian administrative law. In view of the complexity and size of the subject, my study cannot be complete in its content or exhaustive in all its elements. The identification of focal points is inevitable, and this may - almost as a matter of course - generate controversy, but perhaps my endeavour can still be meaningful. Of course, I leave it to the discerning reader to judge.