Due to its geographical and geopolitical characteristics, Hungary has become an attractive destination for industrial, commercial, and logistics developments in recent years. The government is also encouraging large developments with a number of measures, and remarkable industrial investments have been realized with government support. These investments require growing supplier and storage capacity, and making development sites in favorable locations (uncultivated lands with appropriate zoning, available infrastructure, and traffic approach) is expensive.

The stoppage of Alfoldi Tej’s acquisition and a short-lived amendment to the FDI laws establishing the right of first refusal for the Hungarian State attracted much attention to Hungary’s far too wide FDI regime. Let’s shed light on what it really means.

The key legislative changes in 2025 impacting the Hungarian renewable energy sector include:

Early in the year, the government introduced a new actor into named-patient reimbursement: the Batthyany-Strattmann Laszlo Foundation for Healing, a public benefit foundation empowered to finance medicinal products and medical devices that, although professionally accepted, fell outside social insurance reimbursement. Prior to this change, individualized access decisions sat solely with the National Health Insurance Fund. The foundation’s establishment diversified funding sources, helped alleviate administrative pressure, and introduced discretionary decision-making guided by considerations of life protection, social responsibility, and budget availability.

As AI becomes an integral part of everyday technology, product liability law is evolving to address the new risks it introduces. The new EU Product Liability Directive (2024/2853) marks a fundamental shift in how defective products – including software, AI systems, and digital components – are regulated. Hungary is now preparing to align its national rules with this modernized regime. A legislative proposal to amend the Civil Code is currently before Parliament, and its adoption will significantly broaden liability exposure for businesses involved in developing, modifying, or distributing AI-powered products.

The European Union has made a significant move to reshape its anti-money laundering (AML) framework by creating the Authority for Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLA), based in Frankfurt. This new institution is set to standardize and improve AML compliance throughout the EU, eliminating fragmented oversight and establishing a consistent supervisory system.

In The Debrief, our Practice Leaders across CEE share updates on recent and upcoming legislation, consider the impact of recent court decisions, showcase landmark projects, and keep our readers apprised of the latest developments impacting their respective practice areas.