Judit Ormai English For Law Students Governance

Source: http://www.doksi.
net
Czirkóné Ormai Judit & Pókay Marietta
(Interactive) English for Law Students – 3.

Governance
Pécs
2014
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Source: http://www.doksi.net
Preface
This language course book is intended for law students with a solid understanding of the
basics of constitutional law and administrative law together with a fairly good command
of English. It aims to develop all language skills in a balanced way through tasks
typically albeit not necessarily performed in the course of either studying or practising
law.
Most of the exercises contained are interactive so students may work with them at any
time, at any place and at their own pace. Hopefully, by doing so students will not only
improve their language competence but will have fun as well.
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UNIT 1 - GOVERNMENTAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Forms of government
Match the basic forms of government with their definitions.
1. absolute monarchy ___

2. autocracy ___
3. constitutional monarchy ___
4. federal republic ___
5. oligarchy ___
6. parliamentary republic/parliamentary constitutional republic ___
7. presidential system ___
8. semi-presidential system ___
9. socialist republic/people's republic ___
10. theocracy ___
A/ A system of government where an executive branch is led by a person who serves as both
head of state and head of government. That person is usually elected but can also be an
unelected monarch. In this system, the executive branch exists separately from the legislature,
to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it.
B/ A system of government where both the prime minister and the president run the day-to-
day affairs of the state.
C/ A type of government which operates under a parliamentary system of government where

the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature.
D/ A form of government with a constitution and self-governing subunits.
E/ System of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized

government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a purely ceremonial leader.
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F/ A monarchial form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing

authority as head of state and head of government; his or her powers are not limited by a
constitution or by the law.
G/ A form of government in which the political power is held by a single, self-appointed

ruler.
H/ A form of government in which power effectively rests with a small elite segment of
society distinguished by royal, wealth, intellectual, family, military or religious hegemony.
I/ A state run by a communist party that pretends to be following the progression from
capitalism to socialism or to communism hypothesized by Karl Marx.
J/ A form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil
ruler. Since said god or deity is usually absent from decision making, a church sponsored
leader or leaders will rule instead.
Based on the map give a short presentation about the systems of goverment in the world.
The following forms of state are closely connected to the United Kingdom. Find information on the
Internet and fill in the table.
Definition Examples
Colony
Dependency
Dominion
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In the following exercise you will find some special forms of govenment. Choose the forms of
government matching the definitions, from the following list: meritocracy, kakistocracy,
technocracy, kritarchy, kleptocracy, kratocracy
1.______________________ Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled

citizens, "Government by the worst."
2.______________________. A term applied to a government that extends the

personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class
(collectively, kleptocrats) at the expense of the population.
3.______________________ Government by those who are strong enough to seize

power through force or cunning.
4._______________________ A form of order springing from judgments made from

principles of natural rights.
5._______________________ A government or other organization wherein

appointments are made and responsibilities are given based on demonstrated talent and
ability.
6._______________________ A form of government in which engineers, scientists,

and other technical experts are in control of decision making in their respective fields.
(Based on: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/List_of_forms_of_government and

http://www.answers.com/topic)
Analyse the diagram.
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Politics and government
There are fifteen words connected with politics in the box. Use them in the right form to complete the
sentences. The first has been done for you as an example.
abstention budget consensus constitution devolution house leader

leak legislation membership policy poll recess spokesman veto
1. Germany has a federal constitution______.

2. A government ____________________ revealed that discussions had been concluded on the treaty.
3. According to the latest opinion __________________ the Prime Minister is more unpopular than ever.
4. Austria’s application for ____________________ of the EU was successful.
5. Many Scots would like to see more _____________________ of power from Westminster.
6. Parliament has introduced ______________________ to control the sale of drugs.
7. The bill was passed by both ______________________ and sent to the President for signature.
8. The crises happened during the summer ________________ and parliament had to be recalled.
9. The government is investigating the latest __________________ of document relating to the spy trial.
10. The government is running a tight monetary ____________________ to try to control inflation.
11. The ____________________ of the opposition criticized the Prime Minister for his failure to act.
12. The motion was carried by 200 votes to 150; there were 60 ______________________.
13. The President has the power of _____________________over bills passed by Congress.
14. There is a _____________________ between all the major parties about what we should do now.
15. The minister has put forward a ______________________ aimed at slowing down the economy.
All the words in the box are nouns. Write the verb forms. The first one has been done for you as an
example.
1. an abstention to abstain 5. a leak

2. a budget 6. legislation
3. a devolution 7. a poll
4. a leader 8. a veto
(D. Riley: Check your Vocabulary for Law. Peter Collin Publishing, 1996)
The political system of the UK
How much do you know about this topic? Do the quiz.
1. The duties of the Monarch of the United Kingdom still include summoning, proroguing and
dissolving Parliament as well as appointing the Prime Minister and other leaders. However,
the monarch performs these duties in accordance with ministerial advice. What assures that
the King or Queen will adhere to that advice?
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a) The Magna Charta

b) Common Law
c) Custom
d) A written constitution
2. A bill passed by Parliament does not become law unless it is granted "Royal Assent". No
20th or 21st century monarch has denied assent to a Parliamentary bill. Who was the last
monarch to refuse assent?
a) Queen Anne in 1708

b) Queen Victoria in 1876
c) George III in 1799
d) William IV in 1831
3. Previous to the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, when a sovereign had no male heirs and
a female offspring ascended to the throne, which of the following titles implied that she had
full powers as a reigning monarch?
a) Queen Rex
b) Queen Regnant
c) Queen Royal
d) Queen Redoubtable
4. Both historical conflicts and Acts of Parliament have influenced the conditions for
succeeding to the throne of the United Kingdom. What requirements must a prospective King
or Queen of the United Kingdom meet?
a) He or she must be a protestant.

b) He or she must be both a protestant and a descendant of Princess Sophia, the Electress
of Hanover.
c) He or she must be a descendant of Princess Sophia, the Electress of Hanover.
d) No particular religious or genealogical requirements pertain.
5. Ultimately, marriages of the Royal Family come under the purview of Parliament. Should a
reigning Queen marry, what special rank and privileges are accorded to her spouse?
a) He is seated in the House of Lords.

b) He becomes first in the line of succession.
c) None
d) He becomes Duke of Windsor.
6. The Privy Council exists to advise the monarch, and the monarch makes all appointments
to the Council. In what way does the Privy Council relate to the Cabinet?
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a) All of these
b) The Cabinet has superseded the power that the Privy Council once held.
c) Technically, the Cabinet is a committee of the Privy Council.
d) The Cabinet advises the monarch on appointments to the Privy Council.
7. The Judicial Committee of the monarch's Privy Council provides a number of functions.
Which of the following does NOT properly describe a function of this committee?
a) It holds jurisdiction in appeals from the Bahamas and Barbados.

b) It is the highest level of appeal for all judicial matters in the United Kingdom.
c) It hears appeals from the Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons.
d) It mediates disputes regarding the validity of acts of the Scottish Parliament or the
functions of the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly or the Northern Ireland
Assembly.
8. The power to declare war resides with the monarch.
a) True
b) False
9. The cost of the monarchy is an issue to some in the United Kingdom. Which UK taxes does
the Monarch of the United Kingdom NOT pay?
a) Value added tax

b) Inheritance tax on bequests from Sovereign to Sovereign
c) Income tax on personal income
d) Capital gains tax
10. Not all royal privileges and prerogatives have been eroded over the centuries. What is the
status of the Royal Family under the United Kingdom's Freedom of Information Acts?
a) Public funding information for the head of state must be provided.

b) No exemption is provided.
c) Only personal income and expenditure are exempt.
d) It is entirely exempt.
The institutions of government in the UK

Compare the institutions of government to that of Hungarian institutions.
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Power is divided so as to ensure that it

never becomes dangerously concentrated in the hands of one person. The present
constitutional theory is that power is divided between three main organizations. Each is to a
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greater or lesser extent independent of the others, but at the same time owes allegiance to, and
is under the nominal control of, the Crown.
1. THE MONARCH/ CROWN
Th Q
2. LEGISLATURE 3. EXECUTIVE 4. JUDICIARY
P li G J d
(Rivlin: Understanding the Law. Oxford University Press, 2004)
The Executive (the Government)
See to the function of the Privy Council.

Find the answer to the following questions in the text.
1. How is the Prime minister selected in the UK?
2. What is the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Monarch?
3. How is the Cabinet formed?
4. What is the main difference between the role of the Cabinet and that of the
ministers/departments?
The central Executive is divided into three groups: the Privy Council, the Ministry i.e. the
government of the day and the Departments of the state.
The government consists of the ministers appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of
the Prime Minister, who is appointed directly by the Crown and is the leader of the political
party which for the time being has a majority of seats in the House of Commons. The office of
Prime Minister dates from the eighteenth century and is the subject of a number of
constitutional conventions. The Prime Minister is the head of the government and presides
over meetings of the Cabinet; by convention he is always a Member of the House of
Commons. He consults and advises the Monarch on government business, supervises and to
some extent co-ordinates the work of the various ministries and departments and is the
principal spokesman for the government in the House of Commons. He also makes
recommendations to the Monarch on many important public appointments, including the Lord
Chief Justice, Lords of Appeal in Ordinary and Lords Justices of Appeal.
The Cabinet is the nucleus of government: its members consist of a small group of the most
important ministers who are selected by the Prime Minister. The size of the Cabinet is today
about 23 and its principal function, much of the work being carried out in Committee, is to
determine, control and integrate the policies of the government for submission to Parliament.
The Cabinet meets in private and its deliberations are secret: no vote is taken, and, by the
principle of ‘Cabinet unanimity’ collective responsibility is assumed for all decisions taken.
The central government ministries and departments give effect to government policies and
have powers and duties conferred on them by legislation, and sometimes, under the Royal
Prerogative. Each is headed by a minister who is in most cases a member of either the House
of Lords or the House of Commons.
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Fill in the missing prepositions in the following sentences.
1. The Cabinet determines the policies for submission …… Parliament.

2. The institution of Prime Minister dates …… the eighteenth century.
3. State departments give effect ….. government policies.
4. Ministers are appointed …. the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
5. The Prime Minister presides ……… meetings of the Cabinet.
6. He makes recommendations …… the Monarch ……. appointments.
What do you know about the role of the government and ministries in Hungary?
The Queen in Parliament
Read the text on the Queen’s role in the UK and find the words matching the following
definitions.
(http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueeninParliament.aspx)
______________ The body having primary power to make written law.
______________ An Act of Parliament.
______________ Agreement to somethig proposed.
______________ Drafts of proposed Acts of Parliament.
______________ A special privilege or power.
______________ Invite people to take part in an event.
______________ Discontinue a session of a parliament.
______________ End officially.
______________ The process of choosing by vote a member of a representative body.
______________ A formal public statement.
______________ An opinion about what could or should be done about a situation or

problem
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The Queen has an important formal and ceremonial relationship with Parliament.
The phrase 'Crown in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature, which consists of
the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
Of these three different elements, the Commons, a majority of whom normally supports the
elected Government of the day, has the dominant political power.
The role of the Sovereign in the enactment of legislation is today purely formal, although The
Queen has the right ‘to be consulted, to encourage and to warn’ her ministers via regular
audiences with the Prime Minister.
The Sovereign’s assent is required to all bills passed by Parliament in order for them to
become law. Royal Assent (consenting to a measure becoming law) has not been refused
since 1707.
It is also a long established convention that The Queen is asked by Parliament to provide
consent (which is different to assent) for the debating of bills which would affect the
prerogative or interests of the Crown. Where Queen’s Consent is given it is signified in each
House of Parliament and recorded in Hansard. Consent has not been withheld in modern
times, except on the advice of Government.
The Queen also plays an important role in the ceremonial opening and dissolving of
Parliament.
In the annual State Opening of Parliament ceremony, The Queen opens Parliament in person,
and addresses both Houses in The Queen's Speech. Neither House can proceed to public
business until The Queen's Speech has been read.
This speech is drafted by the Government and not by The Queen. It outlines the Government's
policy for the coming session of Parliament and indicates forthcoming legislation.
In addition to opening Parliament, only The Queen can summon Parliament, and prorogue
(discontinue without dissolving it) or dissolve it.
When a Prime Minister wishes to dissolve Parliament and call a general election, he or she is
obliged to seek the permission of the Sovereign to do so. For this purpose, the Prime Minister
usually travels to Buckingham Palace before announcing a general election.
Since the Parliament Act of 1911, the life of the United Kingdom Parliament extends to five
years, unless dissolved sooner by the Sovereign at the request of the Prime Minister.
In practice, except during the two World Wars when the life of Parliament was extended
annually to avoid a wartime general election, every modern Parliament has been dissolved
before its term has expired.
When Parliament is summoned, also after a Royal proclamation, there must, since the
Representation of the People Act 1918, be a period of at least twenty days before Parliament
meets. This period can be extended, but only for fourteen days, according to the Prorogation
Act 1867.
There is only one occasion on which Parliament meets without a Royal summons, and that is
when the Sovereign has died. In such circumstances, the Succession to the Crown Act 1707
provides that, if Parliament is not already sitting, it must immediately meet and sit.
The Meeting of Parliament Act 1797 provides that, if the Sovereign dies after Parliament has
been dissolved, the immediately preceding Parliament sits for up to six months, if not
prorogued or dissolved before then.
The Queen's role in Parliament is:
Assenting to Bills passed by Parliament, on the advice of Ministers;
Giving audiences to Ministers, at which Her Majesty may be consulted, encourage and warn;
Opening each new session of Parliament;
Proroguing or dissolving Parliament before a general election.
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Make a comparison between the role of the Queen in Parliament and that of the President of
the Republic’s duties in the Hungarian Parliament. In order to do so, read the extract from
the English translation of the Fundamental Law of Hungary.
The President of the Republic

Article 9
(1) The Head of State of Hungary shall be the President of the Republic, who shall embody
the unity of the nation and be the guardian of the democratic functioning of the state
organisation.
(2) The President of the Republic shall be the Commander in Chief of the Hungarian Defence
Forces.
(3) The President of the Republic:
a) shall represent Hungary;
b) may attend and address the sittings of the National Assembly;
c) may initiate Acts;
d) may initiate national referendums;
e) shall set the date for general elections of Members of the National Assembly, local
government representatives and mayors, furthermore for European Parliament elections and
national referendums;
f) shall take decisions concerning a special legal order;
g) shall convene the constitutive sitting of the National Assembly;
h) may dissolve the National Assembly;
i) may send the adopted Fundamental Law or the amendment of the Fundamental Law to the
Constitutional Court for an examination of its conformity with the procedural requirements
laid down in the Fundamental Law with respect to its adoption, and may send adopted Acts to
the Constitutional Court for an examination of their conformity with the Fundamental Law or
may return them to the National Assembly for reconsideration;
j) shall propose persons for the offices of the Prime Minister, the President of the Curia, the
President of the National Office for the Judiciary, the Prosecutor General and the
Commissioner for Fundamental Rights;
k) shall appoint professional judges and the President of the Budget Council;
l) shall confirm the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the President of the
Hungarian Academy of Arts in his or her office;
m) shall form the organisation of his or her office.
(4) The President of the Republic:
a) shall, on the basis of authorisation by the National Assembly, express consent to be bound
by international treaties;
b) shall accredit and receive ambassadors and envoys;
c) shall appoint Ministers, the Governor and Deputy Governors of the National Bank of
Hungary, the heads of autonomous regulatory organs and university professors;
d) shall assign university rectors;
e) shall appoint and promote generals;
f) shall award decorations, prizes and titles specified in an Act, and authorise the use of
foreign state decorations;
g) shall exercise the right to grant individual pardons;
h) shall decide on matters of territorial organisation falling within his or her functions and
powers;
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i) shall decide on matters related to the acquisition or termination of citizenship;

j) shall decide on all matters within the powers conferred on him or her by an Act.
(5) The counter-signature of a Member of the Government shall be required for all actions and
decisions of the President of the Republic under Paragraph (4). An Act may provide that for
decisions taken within the powers conferred on the President of the Republic by an Act, no
counter-signature shall be required.
(6) The President of the Republic shall refuse to act in accordance with the provisions set out
in Paragraphs (4)b) to e) if the conditions required by legal regulations are not met or if he or
she has well-grounded reasons to conclude that it would lead to a serious disorder in the
democratic functioning of the state organisation.
(7) The President of the Republic shall refuse to act in accordance with the provisions set out
in Paragraph (4)f), if it would violate the values enshrined in the Fundamental Law.
(http://www.parlament.hu/documents/125505/138409/Fundamental+law/73811993-c377-428d-9808-
ee03d6fb8178)
Translation
The formality of legal texts is partly achieved by the use of higly formal expressions, which
sometimes you cannot give a word-for word translation. How would you translate the
sentences underlined in Article 9?
The idea of obligation frequently occurs in legal texts and it is usually expressed in an
impersonal way. How would you translate the following structures?
The President of the Republic: shall represent Hungary.

The Sovereign’s assent is required…
… he or she is obliged to seek the permission of the Sovereign…
… if Parliament is not already sitting, it must immediately meet and sit…
Government
Translate the following informative text into Hungarian.
The president of Hungary, elected by the National Assembly every 5 years, has a largely
ceremonial role, but powers include requesting the winner of a parliamentary election to form
a Cabinet. That person then presents his program to Parliament, and is in turn ratified by that
body as Prime Minister. The Prime Minister selects Cabinet ministers and has the exclusive
right to dismiss them. Each Cabinet nominee appears before one or more parliamentary
committees in consultative open hearings and must be formally approved by the President of
the Republic. The unicameral, 199-member National Assembly is the highest state legislative
body and initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the Prime Minister. National
parliamentary elections are held every 4 years. A party must win at least 5% of the national
vote to enter Parliament. A 15-member Constitutional Court may challenge legislation on
grounds of unconstitutionality; members are appointed by a two-thirds vote in Parliament for
a 12-year term of office.
(Based on: http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/hungary/government)
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The Queen’s speech 2013
Listen to the Queen’s speech and fill in the text with the missing words. Choose a card given
to you by your teacher and explain the meaning of the word taken from the text to your
colleagues.
http://youtu.be/UWwK3z3GvzY
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons.

My government’s legislative programme will continue to focus on building a stronger
__________ so that the United Kingdom can compete and ___________ in the world.
It will also work to ___________ a fairer society that rewards people who work hard.
My government’s first ____________ is to strengthen Britain’s economic competitiveness. To
this end, it will support the growth of the private sector and the creation of more jobs and
opportunities.
My ministers will continue to prioritise ___________ that reduce the deficit – ensuring
interest rates are kept low for homeowners and businesses.
My government is ______________ building an economy where people who work hard are
properly rewarded. It will therefore continue to reform the __________ system, helping
people move from __________ to work.
Measures will be ______________ to introduce a new Employment ___________ to support
jobs and help small businesses.
A Bill will be introduced to reduce the __________ of excessive regulation on businesses. A
further Bill will make it easier for businesses to protect their ________________.
A draft Bill will be published establishing a simple set of __________________ to promote
competitive markets and growth.
My government will introduce a Bill that closes the Audit Commission.
My government will continue to invest in infrastructure to deliver jobs and growth for the
economy.
Legislation will be introduced to _________ the building of the ‘High Speed Two’ railway
line, providing further opportunities for _________________ in many of Britain’s cities.
My government will continue with legislation to update energy infrastructure and to improve
the water industry.
My government is committed to a fairer society where aspiration and responsibility are
rewarded.
To make sure that every child has the best start in life, _____________ background, further
measures will be taken to improve the quality of education for young people.
Plans will be developed to help working parents with childcare, increasing its availability and
helping with its cost.
My government will also take forward plans for a new ______________, a world class exam
system and greater flexibility in pay for teachers.
My government will also take steps to ensure that it becomes typical for those leaving school
to start a ____________ or an apprenticeship, or to go to university.
New arrangements will be put in place to help more people own their own home, with
government support provided for mortgages and deposits.
My government is committed to supporting people who have saved for their ____________.
Legislation will be introduced to reform the way long term care is paid for, to ensure the
elderly do not have to sell their homes to meet their care bills.
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My government will bring forward legislation to create a simpler state _______________ that
_____________ saving and provides more help to those who have spent years caring for
children.
Legislation will be introduced to ensure sufferers of a certain asbestos-related cancer receive
payments where no liable employer or insurer can be traced.
My government will bring forward a Bill that further reforms Britain’s ___________ system.
The Bill will ensure that this country attracts people who will contribute and deters those who
will not.
My government will continue to reduce crime and protect _______________.
Legislation will be introduced to reform the way in which offenders are rehabilitated in
England and Wales.
Legislation will be brought forward to introduce new powers to tackle anti-social behaviour,
______________ and further reform the police.
In relation to the problem of matching internet protocol addresses, my government will bring
forward proposals to enable the protection of the public and the investigation of crime in
cyberspace.
Measures will be brought forward to improve the way this country procures defence
equipment, as well as ________________ the Reserve Forces.
My ministers will continue to work in cooperation with the _________________________.
A Bill will be introduced to give effect to a number of institutional improvements in Northern
Ireland.
Draft legislation will be published concerning the electoral arrangements for the National
Assembly for Wales.
My government will continue to make the case for Scotland to _________________ of the
United Kingdom.
Members of the House of Commons,
Estimates for the public services will be laid before you.
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,
My government will work to prevent conflict and reduce terrorism. It will support countries in
transition in the Middle East and North Africa, and the opening of a peace process in
Afghanistan.
My government will work to prevent sexual ______________ in conflict worldwide.
My government will ensure the security, good governance and development of the Overseas
Territories, including by protecting the Falkland Islanders’ and Gibraltarians’ right to
determine their political futures.
In assuming the Presidency of the G8, my government will promote economic growth,
support free trade, tackle ________________, encourage greater transparency and
_________________ while continuing to make progress in tackling climate change.
Other measures will be laid before you.
My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,
I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.
Overview on Devolution of Powers
Match the paragraphs with their headings.

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Find information about the referendum Scotland held in September 2014. Make a list of the
advantages and disadvantages Scotland would have faced if the Scots had voted for
independence.
1. Introduction
2. Background to devolution
3. Devolved legislatures
4. Devolved administrations
5. What devolution is
A/ In a similar way to how the government is formed from members from the 2 Houses of
Parliament, members of the devolved legislatures nominate ministers from among themselves
to comprise an executive, known as the devolved administrations, as follows:
• the Scottish government is a working majority government comprised of the Scottish
National Party.
• the Welsh government is a minority government formed by the Labour Party.
• the Northern Ireland Executive is a four-party power-sharing executive comprising the
largest parties in the Assembly:
o the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
o Sinn Féin
o the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
o the Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP)
Officials in the devolved administrations do not serve the same ministers as HM government
– ie, they do not work to the Prime Minister or to Secretaries of State who form the Cabinet,
but to their own ministers with their own political priorities and mandates.
B/ In essence, devolution is a way of enabling Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to have
forms of self-government within the United Kingdom. The UK Parliament has conferred
various sorts of legislative powers on the elected Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for
Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly to do this.
The devolved legislatures in Scotland and Wales are quite small. The Scottish Parliament has
129 members and the National Assembly for Wales 60. Both are elected by the additional
member system (very similar to the mixed member plurality system used in Germany and
New Zealand). Some MSPs or AMs are elected on the first past the post basis, from single-
member constituencies. This accounts for 73 MSPs and 40 AMs. The remainder are elected
from regional lists, on a second ballot, and are allocated to try to ensure that there is
proportional balance between the parties in those regions, taking into account the party
affiliation of constituency MSPs or AMs.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has 108 members at present (the UK Parliamentary Voting
System and Constituencies Act 2011 will reduce it to 96 after the next Assembly elections).
They are elected using the single transferable vote system in multi-member constituencies.
Legislative devolution is accompanied by executive devolution to the Scottish Government
(formerly Executive), Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Executive. Those
governments are each accountable to their respective Parliament or Assembly.
All three devolved parts of the UK are still represented in the UK Parliament at Westminster
as well. Scotland has 59 Westminster MPs, Wales 40 and Northern Ireland 18.
C/ In September 1997, referendums were held in Scotland and Wales, and a majority of voters
chose to establish a Scottish Parliament and a National Assembly for Wales. In Northern
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Ireland, devolution was a key part of the Agreement, sometimes referred to as the Good
Friday Agreement or the Belfast Agreement, supported by voters in a referendum in May
1998.
Following this public endorsement, Parliament passed 3 devolution Acts: the Scotland Act
1998; the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and the Government of Wales Act 1998 (which was
later effectively superseded by the Government of Wales Act 2006). These acts established
the 3 devolved legislatures, which were given some power previously held at Westminster.
Parliament remains sovereign, and retains the power to amend the devolution Acts or to
legislate on anything that has been devolved. That said, the government has made clear it will
not normally legislate on a devolved matter without the consent of the devolved legislature,
which requires a Legislative Consent Motion.
D/ Devolution is a process of decentralisation, and puts power closer to the citizen so that
local factors are better recognised in decision-making.
This guide summarises how the political and administrative powers of the devolved
legislatures - Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have changed as a result of devolution.
E/ One of the main differences between Parliament and the devolved legislatures is in the way
members are elected. Whilst all Members of Parliament are elected using first-past-the-post,
elections to the devolved legislatures involve an element of proportional representation:
Members of the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales are elected to
represent either a constituency using first-past-the-post, or a region on the additional member
system, which uses the d’Hondt model of proportional representation. Members elected in
different ways have equal roles in these 2 legislatures.
All members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are elected on the single transferable vote
form of proportional representation.
(http://devolutionmatters.wordpress.com/devolution-the-basics/)
Translation
In Hungarian attributes always precede the noun they refer to. If attributes are very long and
it leads to a complicated sentence, a subordinate clause may be needed. In English, long
attributes follow the noun they refer to. Translate the following structures.
In essence, devolution is a way of enabling Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to have
forms of self-government within the United Kingdom.
They are elected using the single transferable vote system …
… devolution was a key part of the Agreement, sometimes referred to as the Good Friday
Agreement or the Belfast Agreement, supported by voters in a referendum …
Just for Fun
Ravens
Under a decree of Charles II six ravens must be

kept in the Tower at all times. According to
17
legend, if the ravens leave, both the Tower and the Kingdom will fall. Although their wings
are clipped to prevent them flying away, some ravens have escaped – others have been
dismissed for bad behaviour. As insurance, the Raven Master keeps chics on site in hatch-
eries to replace any that go missing.
Whales and sturgeons
Under a statute called Prerogativa Regis – ’Of

the King’s Prerogative’ – or the Wreck of the
Sea Act, which was signed into law in 1324 by
Edward II, ’the King shall have throughout the
realm, whales and great sturgeons taken in the
sea or elsewhere within the realm’.
In medieval times, any whale caught off the
coast of England was cut into two. By custom,
the head went to the King, while the tale was
sent to the Queen to provide whalebone for her stays. However, in 1970 the Queen was
persuaded to give up her right to captured whales and the Law Commission sent a
recommendation to Parliament that this prerogative be abolished. However, in 1971, the
repeal of the 1324 law was voted down by the House of Lords, so whales still belong to the
monarch – though catching them is now outlawed by international treaty.
(Nigel Cawthorne: The Strange Laws of Old England, Piatkus Books, 2007)
Swan upping
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=
KUFB_mH0to0
18
abolish ige eltöröl, hatályon kívül helyez, érvénytelenít (törvényt v.

jogszabályt)
abstain ige vmi tevésétől tartózkodik, főként szavazáskor
abstention fn vminek a tevésétől való tartózkodás, főleg szavazáskor
accountability fn felelősség(re vonhatóság)
accountable mn beszámolással tartozó, felelős
accredit ige megbízólevéllel ellát, akkreditál
acquisition fn (a) szerzemény (b) vétel, vásárlás, megszerzés
affiliation fn csatlakozás, kötődés, törvényesítés, elismerés
aim 1 fn szándék, célkitűzés 2 ige célba vesz, igyekszik, törekszik

• aim (at) ige céloz, irányul vmire
allegiance fn állampolgári, alattvalói engedelmesség, hűség
• owe allegiance (to) ige állampolgári hűséggel tartozik (vkinek)
allocate ige kiutal, szétoszt, eloszt
allocation fn kiutalás, szétosztás, elosztás
allowance fn járadék, tartásdíj, juttatás
ambassador fn nagykövet
amend ige módosít
amendment fn (a) okirat módosítása (b) törvény(javaslat) módosítása
application fn (a) kérvényezés (b) kérvény a bíróság határozathozatalára
apply (for) ige (a) kér, folyamodik (b) vonatkozik, alkalmaz
apprentice fn tanonc, gyakornok
apprenticeship fn tanoncidő, tanulóidő, gyakornokság
aspiration fn törekvés, vágyakozás, vágyódás
assembly fn (a) gyülekezés (b) gyűlés, közgyűlés
assent ige beleegyezik, hozzájárul

• Royal Assent fn a törvény kihirdetéséhez szükséges formális királyi
19
beleegyezés
assign ige (a) átruház (b) feladatot kioszt, feladatra kijelöl
assignment fn (a) átruházási, kijelölési. megbízási okirat (b) különleges

megbízás
assume ige (a) feltesz, feltételez (b) felvállal, elvállal
expense fn (a) költség (b) kár, teher (c) kiadás

• at the expense of hsz azon az áron, hogy
audit 1 fn könyvvizsgálat 2 ige könyvvizsgálatot végez
authorise/authorize ige (a) engedélyez (b) felhatalmaz
authorisation/authorization fn (a) engedélyezés, hozzájárulás, felhatalmazás (b) engedély
autocracy fn (a) önkényuralom, zsarnokság (b) autokratikus állam
ballot fn (titkos) szavazás
benefit fn (a) haszon (b) segély, juttatás
bill fn törvényjavaslat
briefing fn beszámolás
budget 1 fn (állami) költségvetés 2 ige beoszt, előirányoz
burden fn teher, rakomány

• burden of proof fn bizonyítási teher, bizonyítási kötelezettség
capture ige elfog(lal), megszerez
colony fn gyarmat
commander-in-chief fn főparancsnok, fővezér
commission fn (a) megbízás (b) jutalék, megbízási díj (c) bizottság
commissioner fn bizottsági tag, biztos, megbízott
committed (to) mn (a) elkötelezett (b) vmilyen célra lekötött (pénz) (c) vmi
mellett kiálló
committee fn (a) bizottság (b) parlamenti bizottság
competition fn verseny
competitive mn (a) verseny- (b) versenyképes (c) versenyen alapuló
20
competitiveness fn versenyképesség
comprise ige tartalmaz
conclude ige (a) befejez (b) következtet
conclusion fn következtetés
confer ige adományoz, átruház
confirm ige állít, megerősít
conformity fn összhang
consensus fn megegyezés
• consensus ad idem lat. ’ugyanabban megegyezni’, a felek tényleges megállapodása
a szerződés feltételeiről
consent 1 fn beleegyezés 2 ige egyetért, beleegyezik, hozzájárul
constituency fn (a) választókerület (b) támogatói kör
constituent fn választó, a választókerületben élő
constitution fn (a) alkotmány (b) egyesület, klub alapszabálya
constitutional mn (a) alkotmányos (b) alkotmánynak megfelelő
consult ige szaktanácsot kér
consumer fn fogyasztó, felhasználó
contribute ige (a) fizet, hozzájárul (b) elősegít
contribution fn anyagi hozzájárulás
convene ige összehív
convention fn (hallgatólagos) megállapodás
countersign ige ellenjegyez
countersignature fn ellenjegyzés
cunning mn (a) ravasz (b) ügyes (c) jártas (d) tapasztalt
cyberspace fn kibertér, kibervilág
de facto lat. ’ténylegesen’, a tényleges állapot (jogcím nélküli)
21
debate 1 fn vita 2 ige megvitat
decoration fn kitüntetés
decree 1 fn rendelet, ítélet 2 ige rendelkezik
deity fn istenség
deter ige elrettent
deterrence fn elrettentés
deterrent mn elrettentő (hatású büntetés)
devolution fn devolúció, hatáskör átruházása, alacsonyabb szintre

telepítése
devolve ige hatáskört átruház, alacsonyabb szintre telepít
devolved mn átruházott, átadott
effect 1 fn hatás, hatály, eredmény, következmény 2 ige végrehajt,

megvalósít
• give effect (to) ige (a) intézkedik (b) végrehajt (c) életbe/hatályba léptet
effective mn tényleges, hatályos, hatékony
encourage ige bátorít, ösztönöz
enshrine ige gonddal őriz
ensure ige (a) biztosít (b) gondoskodik
envoy fn (diplomáciai) küldött, megbízott, követ
executive 1 mn végrehajtó, közigazgatási 2 fn (a) végrehajtó hatalom (b)

ügyintéző, előadó, vezérigazgató, ügyvezető
expire ige lejár, megszűnik
expiry fn lejárat, megszűnés
extend ige (a) juttat, nyújt (b) kiterjeszt, meghosszabbít, kibővít
failure fn (a) sikertelenség, kudarc (b) mulasztás (c) hiány,

elégtelenség (d) elromlás, meghibásodás
figurehead fn névleges vezető
first- past- the- post fn UK választási rendszer, ahol a legtöbb szavazatot kapó
jelölt a nyertes (függetlenül attól, hogy a szavazatok hány
22
százalékát szerezte meg)
forthcoming mn közelgő
growth fn fejlődés, növekedés, gyarapodás
immigration fn bevándorlás
inaugural 1 fn székfoglaló, beiktatási beszéd 2 mn beiktató, fölavató
inflation fn infláció
institute 1 fn intézet 2 ige alapít, elindít, megindít
institution fn intézet, intézmény
intellectual property fn szellemi tulajdon, szerzői jogi védelem alatt álló mű
judgment fn döntés, határozat, ítélet

• final judgement fn jogerős ítélet
leak 1 fn kiszivárogtatás, titkos információk kiszivárogtatása 2 ige

kiszivárogtat (titkos információt)
legislate ige törvényt hoz
legislation fn törvény, törvényhozás
legislative mn törvényhozási
legislator fn törvényhozó
legislature fn törvényhozó szerv
legitimacy fn legitimitás, jogosság
legitimate mn legitim, jogos, törvényes
liability fn felelősség
liable mn jogilag felelős
majority fn (a) többség (b) felnőttkor
malfunction fn üzemzavar, hibás működés
mandate 1 fn megbízás, mandátum, képviselői megbízatás 2 ige

(kormányt) felhatalmaz
mayor fn polgármester
• Lord Mayor
23
fn főpolgármester
measure 1 fn (a) mérték (b) intézkedés 2 ige megmér, vmilyen méretű
mortgage 1 fn (a) zálogjog, jelzálog, zálogjogi szerződés (b) zálogjoggal

biztosított kölcsön 2 ige elzálogosít, zálogba ad
motion fn (a) mozgás (b) indítvány
nominal mn névleges, jelképes
nucleus fn (a) középpont, sejtmag (b) lényeg
oligarchy fn (a) oligarchia, kevesek uralma, uralkodása (b) kis

uralkodócsoport
opposition fn (a) ellenzés, szembenállás (b) ellenzék, ellenzéki párt(ok)
outlaw 1 fn száműzött, törvényen kívüli 2 ige törvényen kívül helyez,

betilt
outline 1 fn vázlat, áttekintés 2 ige felvázol, körvonalaz
pardon 1 fn (uralkodói vagy parlamenti) kegyelem 2 ige kegyelmet ad
pension fn nyugdíj
persuade ige meggyőz
plurality fn többség, pluralitás
policy fn irányvonal, vezetés, politika
poll fn szavazás
• opinion poll fn közvélemény kutatás
prerogative fn előjog, kiváltság
pretence fn látszat, színlelés, szerepjátszás
pretend ige tettet, mutat, színlel
prevent ige megakadályoz, megelőz
prevention fn megakadályozás, megelőzés
Prime Minister fn miniszterelnök
prioritise/prioritize ige rangsorol, fontossági sorrendet felállít
priority fn elsőbbség, prioritás, kiemelt jelentőség
24
private mn magán, privát

• in private hsz nem nyilvánosan, bizalmasan, a nyilvánosság kizárásával
proceed ige folytat
procedure fn eljárás
proclaim ige kihirdet, kinyilvánít, proklamál
proclamation fn kihirdetés, proklamálás
promote ige (a) törvényjavaslatot kezdeményez (b) előléptet (c)

reklámoz (d) támogat, pártol, előmozdít, elősegít
proportional mn arányos
prorogation fn parlamenti ülésszak berekesztése
prorogue ige parlamenti ülésszakot berekeszt
put forward ige javasol, indítványoz
raven fn holló
realm fn (a) királyság (b) terület, tartomány
recess fn szünet, elnapolás, ülésszakon kívüli idő
recognise/recognize ige (a) felismer, megismer (b) (jogilag) elismer
reconsideration fn (a) ismételt megfontolás (b) felülvizsgálás
referendum (tsz referenda) fn népszavazás
regardless (of) hsz tekintet nélkül
relating (to) hsz összefüggő, kapcsolatos vmivel, vmire vonatkozó
repeal 1 fn visszavonás, hatályon kívül helyezés 2 ige visszavon,

hatályon kívül helyez
respective 1 mn (a) viszonylagos (b) megfelelő 2 hsz illetőleg, illetve
retain ige visszatart, fenntart
retire ige (a) nyugdíjba vonul (b) visszavonul) (c) esküdtszék

határozathozatalra visszavonul
retirement fn (a) nyugdíjba vonulás (b) visszavonulás) (c) esküdtszék

határozathozatalra való visszavonulása
reveal ige (a) felfed, feltár (b) leleplez, elárul
25
reward 1 fn jutalom, ellenszolgáltatás 2 ige (meg) jutalmaz
safeguard 1 fn védelem, őrzés 2 ige véd
seat fn (a) szék (b) képviselői hely, mandátum (c) bizottsági tagság
Secretary of State fn (a) UK miniszter (b) US külügyminiszter
seek ige (a) kér, követel (b) keres, kutat (c) megkísérel, törekszik
seize ige lefoglal, zárol
seizure fn lefoglalás, zárolás
self-appointed 1 fn önjelölt 2 mn állítólagos
self-governing mn önkormányzati
self-government fn önkormányzat, függetlenség
set out ige (a) közzétesz, leír, részletez (b) elindul, elkezd, megpróbál
signify ige (a) kifejez, kifejezésre juttat (b) jelent, számít
single transferable vote fn egyéni átruházható szavazat
spokesman fn szóvivő
spring (from) ige származik, ered
spy 1 fn kém 2 ige kémkedik
stay 1 ige (a) megáll (b) visszatart, késleltet (c) felfüggeszt,

elhalaszt
2 fn (a) tartózkodás (b) felfüggesztés, elhalasztás,
szüneteltetés
sturgeon fn tokhal, kecsege
submission fn bíróság előtti kijelentés, nyilatkozat
submit ige (a) benyújt, előterjeszt (b) állít, kijelent, nyilatkozatot tesz
(c) elismer, behódol
summon ige behív, berendel, beidéz, összehív (parlamentet)
supersede ige (a) helyettesít, pótol (b) hatálytalanít
supervise ige felügyel, ellenőriz, felülvizsgál
26
supervision fn (a) felügyelet (b) ellenőrzés
tackle 1 fn megbirkózás, megküzdés 2 ige (a) megbirkózik, megküzd

(b) megold
tax evasion fn adóelkerülés, adókijátszás, adócsalás
terminate ige megszüntet, felmond
termination fn megszüntetés, felmondás
theocracy fn papi uralom
trainee fn gyakornok
traineeship fn szakmai gyakorlat
transparency fn átláthatóság
treaty fn szerződés (államközi) egyezmény
trial fn (a) tárgyalás (b) próba, kipróbálás, vizsgálat
ultimate mn végső
unanimity fn egyhangúság, egyetértés
unanimous mn egyhangú
unicameral mn egykamarás (parlament)
unprincipled mn (a) elvtelen (b) erkölcstelen, tisztességtelen (c) erkölcsi

alapot nélkülöző
veto 1 fn vétó 2 ige (meg)vétóz
violate ige megszeg
violation fn megszegés, megsértés, jogsértés, szabályszegés
welfare fn jólét
whale fn bálna, cet
withhold ige visszatart
27
UNIT 2 - Parliament and Legislation
Quiz on Parliament
Do the quiz on the UK Parliament.

http://politics.theguardian.com/quiz/questions/0,9330,1605537,00.html
Would you pass the UK citizenship test?
Below are some true and false statements about the British political system drawn from the
esolcitizenship.org.uk website, which gives guidance for teachers of would-be UK citizens.
See how many you can identify.
MP stands for member of politics.
False
True
MPs represent a particular area of the country (a constituency) because they are elected by the
people who live in that constituency (the constituents).
False
True
Every problem a constituent takes to an MP will be debated by everyone in the House of

Commons.
True
False
The House of Commons is one part of the Houses of Parliament.
False
True
MPs from all the different parties meet in the House of Commons to debate issues.
28
False
True
Anyone can try to become an MP.
True
False
The prime minister is not an MP.
False
True
There are 659 MPs in the House of Commons.
False
True
In parliament, all MPs are on the same side as the government.
False
True
All MPs are able to oppose the government by voting against its proposed law.
False
True
Legislation
Read the text about legislation in the UK and based on your previous studies, make a
comparison with the legislation in Hungary.
MPs at work in the House of

Commons, UK Parliament.
Parliamentary copyright images
are reproduced with the permission
of Parliament
Types of Legislation
29
There are two main types of legislation in the UK:

• Primary legislation - Acts of Parliament or Statutes
• Secondary legislation - Statutory Instruments (SIs, which are often called Codes,
Orders, Regulations, Rules)
There are also quasi legislation and Legislation of the European Union.
Primary legislation
There are two types of primary legislation:

• Public General Acts - In the past decade there have been 25 to 50 new Public Acts
each year. Since 1999, most Public General Acts are accompanied by Explanatory
Notes, which explain in clear English what the Act sets out to achieve and place its
effect in context.
• Local and Personal Acts - these Acts affect a particular locality, person or body.
There have been less than five per year in recent times, but in the Victorian era these
Acts were used in relation to boroughs, railways, canal companies and enclosed land.
Personal Acts were also one important method of obtaining a divorce before it became
available in the secular courts in 1857.
Secondary legislation
Statutory Instrument (SI) is a generic term used for Orders, Regulations, Rules, Codes etc.
They are also referred to as subordinate, subsidiary or delegated legislation. They are
generally made by Goverment Ministers under powers delegated by Parliament.
Quasi legislation
This broad category of legislation is difficult to classify. It includes Government Circulars

(often available from government web sites); Rule Books (produced by the body concerned)
and Codes (Codes of Practice under Police and Criminal Evidence Act, Highway Code etc.).
(http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/lrsp/overview/legislation.php#types)
Structure of an Act
Read the text and match the names of the parts of a British Act of Parliament with the
numbers inserted on the right-hand side of the Act.
A typical modern Public General Act consists of the following parts:
date of Royal Assent; ___

short title; ___
body of the Act; ___
commencement section; ___
year and chapter number; ___
long title: purpose of the Act; ___
schedule: providing information about repeals and amendments resulting from the Act;
___
interpretation section; ___
30
31
How does the House of Lords work?
http://youtu.be/_WQqRQiOt2w
Listen to the presentation and fill in the missing words.
Most bills start in the House of Commons and after the stages are finished, the __________ of
the Bill is taken to the Lords. Reading out the ___________ is called as first reading. The
second reading is a __________. After the second reading the Bill is ready for ____________.
If a lot of people __________ with the subject, the Bill can be thrown out. At the Committee
stage MPs ____________ the Bill line by line. After the Report stage the Bill is wrapped up
in a ___________. The aim of __________ is to find a ___________ between the two houses.
After the Queen signifies the ____________, the final coppy is ____________.
32
How statutes are made
Now describe the diagram about the law-making process in the UK.
The Hungarian legislative process
Based on the guidelines below, make a short summary about legislation in Hungary.
A törvényalkotás
Az Országgyűlésnek:
• a köztársasági elnök
• a kormány
• minden országgyűlési bizottság
• bármely országgyűlési képviselő
nyújthat be törvényjavaslatot
A törvényjavaslatok tárgyalási menete:
Tárgyalási szakaszok a plenáris ülésen Témája:

vita az általános szabályozási elvekről, a
általános vita törvényjavaslat egészéről, szükségességéről és
céljáról
vita a benyújtott módosító javaslatokról (az
részletes vita
ellene és mellette szóló érvek)
szavazás az egyes módosító javaslatokról (a
szavazás a módosító javaslatokról
változásokról)
kodifikációs hibák kijavítása, az e célból
záróvita és
benyújtott módosító javaslatok megvitatása,
majd szavazás a módosító javaslatokról és a
zárószavazás
törvényjavaslat egészéről
33
A törvényjavaslatok tárgyalása a bizottsági és a plenáris tárgyalás egymást váltó szakaszaiból

áll. Ennek rendjét a Házszabály rögzíti.
Minden plenáris tárgyalási szakaszt bizottsági előkészítés előz meg. Az Országgyűlés elnöke
által kijelölt állandó bizottságok először arról döntenek, hogy a törvényjavaslat alkalmas-e az
általános vitára. Az általános vita után véleményezik a képviselők által benyújtott módosító
javaslatokat, majd a részletes vita után a kapcsolódó módosító javaslatokat. Ha szükségesnek
tartják, a bizottságok maguk is benyújthatnak módosító javaslatokat.
(http://www.parlament.hu/pairhelp/ogy_magyar.htm#_Toc261954555)
Reading Statutes
Find the Antarctic Act 2013 on www.legislation.gov.uk or Westlaw, and answer the following
questions:
1. What is the chapter number of the Act?

2. What was the date of Royal Assent?
3. Find the Interpretation section. How is the Antarctic Treaty defined?
4. Find the Commencement section.
a) Did Part 1 of this Act come into force when it received Royal Assent?
b) Which sections of the Act came into force two months after the Act was passed?
(http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/lrsp/overview/legislation.php#types)
How to cite Acts
Read this useful information.
Cite Acts with their title (also known as short title) and year, for example, Human
Rights Act 1998. Abbreviations can be used for subsequent citations of an Act: the
Human Rights Act 1998 is abbreviated as HRA 1998.
If referring to specific sections or parts of an Act, after the name and year, insert a
comma then the relevant abbreviation and number. Some abbreviations are pt for
part; s for section; sub-s for subsection, para for paragraphs; sch for schedule. For
example, Consumer Protection Act 1987, s 2 refers to section 2 of that Act. It is
also suitable to write, for example, section 11 of the Limitation Act 1980. When
referring to subsections, use parentheses. For example Human Rights Act 1998, s
15(1)(b) refers to subsection 1b of section 15.
(http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-120000.htm)
When citing Hungarian Acts, what English word do you use for the symbol: §? And what
words are used for the other parts of the Act? Do the matching.
34
1.fejezet A. article 1./__
2. cikkely B. chapter 2./__
3. § C. paragraph 3./__
4. bekezdés D. item 4./__
5. pont E. section 5./__
Structure of a legal act of the European Union
Compare the structure of British, Hungarian and EU Acts:

This diagram shows the basic elements of a legal act. Depending on the complexity of the
text, elements such as parts, titles, chapters or sections may be used in the preamble, enacting
terms and annexes.
35
David Cameron about the House of Lords reform
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18602587
Listen to David Cameron’s speech delivered in June 2012.

What is his opinion about reforms?
What does the majority of the members of the House of Commons think about the issue?
What is the problem about the issue?
Translation of legal texts
Read the article published on 6 August 2012 and do the exercises.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18612233)
Q&A: House of Lords reform
The government has dropped plans to reform the House of Lords by making it mostly elected
and slashing its size. But why was there so much opposition to change and what does it mean
for the coalition?
What is the House of Lords?
Dating back to the 14th Century, it is the second chamber of Parliament, whose main job is to
scrutinise and amend parliamentary bills proposed by the House of Commons before they
pass into law.
Who are the current members?
There are 825 members, known as "peers". Most are appointed on the recommendation of
the prime minister or other party leaders. This is usually along party lines, although some are
non-political experts in their fields, such as eminent scientists and generals. Twenty-six peers
are senior Church of England bishops. Another 92 are "hereditary" peers, the remnants of the
group who once made up the entire membership.
Why did the government want to change the Lords?
It argued that the current unelected chamber was undemocratic and needed to be reformed.
All three parties promised at least a partly elected House of Lords in their manifestos for the
2010 general election. Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg led
the coalition government's push to bring in the changes.
What were the main proposals?
The government wanted four-fifths of members of a reformed House of Lords to be elected.
They would have served 15-year terms of office, after which they could not run for re-
election. The number of peers was to be almost halved, from 826 to 450. The chamber would
have kept the title of House of Lords, after names like Senate and Reformed House were
rejected.
Peers were each to represent a specific region of the United Kingdom, as happens with
Members of the European Parliament. One-third of seats would have been up for grabs in
elections held every five years.
Of the remaining 90 members, 12 - rather than the current 26 - would have been Church of
England bishops. The remainder was to continue to be appointed and all hereditary peers were
to be removed.
What did opponents say?
36
Many MPs feared that an elected House of Lords would gain greater legitimacy and,
therefore, power, which could undermine the supremacy of the House of Commons. They
also said constitutional change should not be the government's priority during a recession.
Several had raised concerns that the coalition was trying to rush the bill through Parliament,
arguing that more time needed to be taken to discuss such radical plans.
When was reform supposed to happen?
The government wanted the first round of House of Lords elections to happen in 2015, when
the next general election is due to take place. It wanted to get the bill through Parliament by
May next year.
Why has the government dropped the plans?
The government was facing considerable opposition, particularly among Conservative MPs.
In July, 91 Tory MPs rebelled against the government in a vote on how to timetable the House
of Lords Reform Bill - the largest such act of defiance since the coalition was formed in 2010.
Following this the prime minister told his backbenchers he would have "one more try" on
Lords reform but if his party could not reach a deal he would "draw a line" under the issue.
Several senior Labour politicians also raised doubts and many peers were reported to be
unhappy, too.
What does it mean for the coalition?
Lords reform has been a key goal for the Lib Dems, and its failure raises coalition tensions.
Nick Clegg said the coalition agreement was a contract between the coalition partners and the
Conservatives had broken the contract by not honouring the commitment to Lords reform.
What will the Lib Dems do
now?
Mr Clegg says his party
will withdraw its support
for boundary changes
designed to cut the number
of MPs from 650 to 600 and
equalise the size of
constituencies- a
Conservative manifesto
pledge. Legislation to
reduce the House of
Commons has already been
passed but proposals for the
new constituency boundaries will have to be approved by MPs before changes can be made.
Several Conservative MPs have criticised the move saying the coalition agreement links the
Conservative commitment to bring in boundary changes to the Alternative Vote referendum -
something the Lib Dems wanted - which was held last year. The MPs say they have kept their
part of the deal and Mr Clegg cannot now backtrack on boundary changes.
When will the boundary vote take place?
The final proposals for the new constituency boundaries are not due to come back to
Parliament until October 2013. The Lib Dem leader has said he would like to see an
amendment to delay the change before then, but Mr Cameron is expected to go ahead with the
vote as planned.
What does Labour say?
Leader Ed Miliband had promised to support the government's plans on Lords reform but
wanted the reforms to go to a UK-wide referendum. Following the announcement plans for
37
reform would be dropped, the party said while it was not their priority they continued to
support Lords reform and said the Tories were the "real obstacle".
Why hasn't the House of Lords been reformed before?
It has been proposed several times over the past century, but bids to create elected peers have
failed to create enough enthusiasm to come to fruition. In 1968, Labour's Michael Foot - who
wanted to scrap the Lords altogether - united with the then Tory Enoch Powell - who wanted
it to stay just as it was - and led a coalition which defeated change.
However, in 1958, life peerages were created. Unlike hereditary peerages, these are
discontinued when the holder dies. In 1999, Parliament voted to cut the number of hereditary
peers to 92, leaving them to elect among themselves which of their number should get a seat
when one of them dies.
For the translation of legal words one has to know the Hungarian legal terminology. What do
these words mean in the text?
opposition hostility / objection

scrutinise check / look closely at
amend alter / remedy
peers colleagues / aristocrats
recommendation advice / support
hereditary inherited / inherent
seats chairs / places
Try to explain the meaning of ’manifesto’ and ’coalition’ in English.

Translate the following phrases taken from the text.
House of Lords would gain greater legitimacy

the largest such act of defiance since the coalition was formed
constitutional change should not be the government's priority
Several had raised concerns
could undermine the supremacy of the House of Commons
Conservatives had broken the contract by not honouring the commitment to Lords reform
Situation
Ön joghallgatóként részt vesz egy konferencián. Tájékoztassa angol kollégáját, aki az európai
parlamentekről ír tanulmányt.
Angol joghallgató
Érdeklődjön
- Magyarország államformájáról
Említse meg, hogy az Ön országában kétkamarás parlament kormányoz, és érdeklődjön a
magyar parlamentről.
Kérdezze meg
- ki és hogyan választja a köztársasági elnököt
38
- és a miniszterelnököt
Érdeklődjön a képviselők számáról, és mondja el, hogy önöknél évtizedek óta napirenden van
a képviselők számának csökkentése, de nem sikerül áttörést elérni.
Kérdezze meg, melyek az Országgyűlés legfontosabb feladatai.
Magyar joghallgató
Mondja el, hogy

- Magyarország az 1989. évi alkotmánymódosítás óta köztársaság, államformája
parlamentáris demokrácia.
- A törvényhozó hatalmat az egykamarás Országgyűlés gyakorolja.
- A köztársasági elnököt 5 évre választja az Országgyűlés, és újraválasztható.
- A miniszterelnököt a köztársasági elnök javaslata alapján szintén az Országgyűlés
választja meg.
- Az országgyűlési képviselők létszáma 199 fő.
- A lgfontosabb feladata a természetesen a törvényhozás és a kormány működésének
ellenőrzése.
Just for fun
No dying
Although it is not technically against the law, no

one is allowed to die in Parliament. If anyone has
the misfortune to collapse with a fatal feart attack
there, the body is removed before the death
certificate is issued. This is because the Palace of
Westminster is a royal palace and anyone dying
in a royal palace is eligible for a state funeral. It
is parliament’s statues as a royal palacet that
allows the bars thereto stay open after hours and
permits MPs , if they choose, to play roulette in the lobbies.
Nuts
When the British government set up the loss-making ground-nut

scheme in Africa in 1947, a law was passed which contained a
paragraph that read: ’In the Nuts (underground) (other than ground-
nuts) Order, the expression nuts shall have reference to such nuts,
other than groun-nuts, as would, but for this amending Ordernot
qualify as nuts (underground) (other than ground-nuts) by reason of
their being nuts (underground).’
(Nigel Cawthorne: The Strange Laws of Old England, Piatkus Books 2007)
39
Traditions of Parliament
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/role/traditi
ons/
40
abbreviation fn rövidítés
alter ige megváltoztat, alakít, módosít
amend ige módosít, javít
amendment fn (a) módosítás (b) törvényjavaslat módosítás (c) US
alkotmány kiegészítés
article fn cikkely
backbencher fn független képviselő
backtrack ige visszalép, visszatáncol
bid fn (a) árajánlat, licit (b) ajánlattétel megbízás elnyeréséért
bid (for) ige licitál vmi fölött (árverésen)
bishop fn püspök
borough fn (a) város (b) választókerület
boundary fn határ, mezsgye
chamber fn (a) tanácsterem (b) kamara, parlament háza
chaplain fn lelkész
chapter fn fejezet
circular 1 fn prospektus, ismertető 2 mn (kör)levél
citation fn (a) (be)idézés (b) hivatkozás
cite ige (a) (vmilyen testület, pl. bíróság elé) idéz, beidéz, megidéz
(b) hivatkozik
coalition fn koalíció
code fn (a) törvénykönyv, kódex (b) egy állam törvényeinek
gyűjteménye
• code of practice fn (a) egy törvény alkalmazásának szabályai (b) magatartási
szabályzatok
commencement fn kezdet
date of commencement fn törvény hatályba lépésének napja
committed mn elkötelezett
commitment fn bebörtönzés
• commitments fn kötelezettségvállalások
concern 1 fn (a) vállalat, konszern (b) aggodalom, nyugtalanság 2 ige
érint, vonatkozik
consolidate ige (a) egységesít, jogszabályokat egységes szerkezetbe foglal
(b) peres ügyeket egyesít
constituency fn (a) választókerület (b) támogatói kör
custody fn (a) őrizet, őrizetbe vétel, előzetes letartóztatás (b) felügyelet
defiance fn (a) kihívás (b) ellenszegülés
delegate 1 fn küldött 2 ige (a) felhatalmaz (jogkört) átruház (b) delegál
delegated mn átruházott, delegált
designate 1 mn kijelölt (személy) 2 ige kijelöl, minősít
41
divorce 1 fn házasság felbontása, válás 2 ige elválik

drag 1 fn húzás, vonszolás 2 ige húz, vonszol
eligible mn választható, befogadható
eminent mn kimagasló, kiváló
enclosed mn (a) mellékelt, csatolt (b) körülkerített, bekerített
faith fn (a) bizalom, hit (b) hűség (c) becsület
fruition fn megvalóslás,teljesülés
hereditary mn örökölt, örökletes
hostile mn ellenséges
hostility fn ellenséges érzelem, rosszindulat
inherent mn benne rejlő, vele járó
interpretation fn (a) értelmezés (b) tolmácsolás
item fn (a) pont (törvényben) (b) árucikk (c) adat, tétel
legitimacy fn törvényesség, legitimitás
legitimate mn jogos, törvényes
manifesto fn kiáltvány, manifesztum, programnyilatkozat
misconduct fn kötelességmulasztás, kötelességszegés, helytelen viselkedés
motion fn (a) mozgás (b) indítvány
notary fn jegyző
• notary public fn közjegyző
object 1 fn cél 2 ige tiltakozik, ellenvet, kifogásol
objection fn kifogás (vmi ellen)
oppose ige ellenez
opposition fn (a) ellenzés, szembenállás (b) ellenzék, ellenzéki párt(ok)
paragraph fn bekezdés
parenthesis fn zárójel
peer fn (a) főrend, a Lordok Háza tagja (b) kortárs (sors)társ
peerage fn (a) főrendek összessége (b) tagság a Lordok Házában
• life peerage fn nem örökletes tagság a Lordok Házában
persuade ige meggyőz, rábeszél
persuasion fn (a) meggyőzés, rábeszélés (b) hit
prayer fn (a) perbeszéd végén a kérelem (b) Alsóháztól való kérelem
(c) Alsóház indítvány a Koronához, vmely törvény hatályon
kívül helyezésére
priority fn elsőbbség, prioritás, kiemelt jelentőség
promulgate ige kihirdet, közhírré tesz, promulgál
promulgation fn (a) kihirdetés (b) hatályba léptetés, promulgálás
proposal fn indítvány, javaslat, ajánlat
proposed mn indítványozott, javasolt, ajánlott
provision fn (a) rendelkezés, intézkedés (b) fedezet, tartalék
quasi- ekző kvázi, majdnem olyan
42
rebel fn lázadó, felkelő ige lázad

recession fn válság, gazdasági visszaesés
reconsideration fn meggondolás, újra gondolás
referendum (tsz referenda) fn népszavazás
regulate ige (a) beállít, igazít (b) szabályoz
regulation fn szabályozás, igazítás, beállítás
• regulations fn szabályok
remainder fn maradék, maradvány
remedy 1 fn jogorvoslat 2 ige jóvátesz
remnant fn maradék, maradvány
reserve 1 fn tartalék 2 ige (a) foglal (b) visszatart
beleegyezés
schedule 1 fn (a) órarend, időbeosztás (b) toldalék, kiegészítés (c) lista,
táblázat 2 ige (a) jegyzékbe, táblázatba foglal (b) beütemez
scrutinise ige tüzetesen átnéz
section fn paragrafus
secular mn világi
Speaker fn házelnök
statutory mn törvényes, jogszabályban foglalt
• statutory instrument fn miniszteri rendelet, miniszter által kibocsátott jogszabály
subsequent mn következő, azutáni későbbi
subsidiary mn mellékes, járulékos, kisegítő
supremacy fn felsőbbség, főhatalom
supreme mn legfelsőbb, legfőbb, legfontosabb
tension fn feszültség
undermine ige aláás, aláaknáz
43
UNIT 3 – Constitution and Citizenship
What is the UK Constitution?
Answer the following questions:
How would you define the word ’constitution’?

What do you think an ’unwritten constitution’ is like?
Guess why the UK have no written constitution.
What is the difference between an ’unwritten’ and an ’uncodified’ constitution?
Now read the text and check your answers.
Constitutions organise, distribute and regulate state power. They set out the structure of the
state, the major state institutions, and the principles governing their relations with each other
and with the state’s citizens.
Britain is unusual in that it has an ‘unwritten’ constitution: unlike the great majority of
countries there is no single legal document which sets out in one place the fundamental laws
outlining how the state works. Britain’s lack of a ‘written’ constitution can be explained by its
history. In other countries, many of whom have experienced revolution or regime change, it
has been necessary to start from scratch or begin from first principles, constructing new state
institutions and defining in detail their relations with each other and their citizens. By
contrast, the British Constitution has evolved over a long period of time, reflecting the relative
stability of the British polity. It has never been thought necessary to consolidate the basic
building blocks of this order in Britain. What Britain has instead is an accumulation of various
44
statutes, conventions, judicial decisions and treaties which collectively can be referred to as
the British Constitution. It is thus more accurate to refer to Britain’s constitution as an
‘uncodified’ constitution, rather than an ‘unwritten’ one.
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/whatis/uk-constitution)
The sources of the British constitution
Read the text and make a list about the sources of the British constitution.
The following words are taken from the text. Match them with their definitions.
1. derived a) nearer to the end of a period of time
2. statutes b) annulled or rescinded officially
3. regulate c) sg that is changed in order to make it

better
4. accession d) acts of parliament
5. subject to e) joining a treaty or organization
6. authorities f) people, groups or government departments

that have the power to make official
decisions
7. amendable g) systematically collected and written down
8. latter h) depending on sg as a condition
9. abolition i) control sg by using laws
10. codified j) putting an end to a system officially
11. repealed k) had sg as its origin
45
The British Constitution is derived from a number of sources. Statutes are laws passed by
Parliament and are generally the highest form of law. Conventions are unwritten practices
which have developed over time and regulate the business of governing. Common law is law
developed by the courts and judges through cases. The UK’s accession to the European
Communities Act 1972 has meant that European law is increasingly impacting on the British
Constitution. The UK is also subject to international law. Finally, because the British
Constitution cannot be found in any single document, politicians and lawyers have relied on
constitutional authorities to locate and understand the constitution.
An uncodified constitution creates two problems. First, it makes it difficult to know what the
state of the constitution actually is. Second, it suggests that it is easier to make changes to the
UK Constitution than in countries with written constitutions, because the latter have
documents with a ‘higher law’ status against which ordinary statute law and government
action can be tested, and are only amendable via elaborate procedures. The flexibility of the
UK constitution is evident from the large number of constitutional reforms since 1997,
including the abolition of the majority of hereditary peers in the House of Lords, the
introduction of codified rights of individuals for the the first time in the Human Rights Act
1998, and devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Arguably, however, these
recent constitutional reforms may have made the constitution less flexible in some respects: it
is debatable, for instance, whether the devolution settlements could ever be repealed.
The principles of the British constitution

Find the fundamental principles of the British Constitution in the text. Choose one of them,
and give a short presentation about it in class.
It has been suggested that the British Constitution can be summed up in eight words: What the
Queen in Parliament enacts is law. This means that Parliament, using the power of the Crown,
enacts law which no other body can challenge. Parliamentary sovereignty is commonly
regarded as the defining principle of the British Constitution. This is the ultimate lawmaking
power vested in a democratically elected Parliament to create or abolish any law. Other core
principles of the British Constitution are often thought to include the rule of law, the
separation of government into executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and the existence
of a unitary state, meaning ultimate power is held by ‘the centre’ – the sovereign Westminster
Parliament. …
The British Constitution
Listen to the gentleman speaking about the British Constitution. Fill in the the table with the
information about the basic Acts he refers to, and find information about documents, which
form part of the British Constitution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGdZ5t13l1w
46
Document Year
Magna Charta
Petition of Rights
Habeas Corpus Act 1679
1689
1689
Act of Settlement 1701
1707
Parliamentary Act 1911
Crown proceedings Act 1947
What is the difference between a written and an unwritten (uncodified) constitution?
The following statements are characteristic features of either written or unwritten

constitutions. Put them in the right column.
1. found in one or more than one legal documents duly enacted in the form of laws
2. generally the result of historical development
3. never made by a representative constituent assembly at a definite stage of history
4. not promulgated on a particular date
5. precise, definite and systematic
6. the result of the conscious and deliberate efforts of the people
7. major principles and key constitutional provisions are entrenched
8. consists of customs, conventions, traditions, and some written laws bearing different
dates
9. unsystematic, indefinite and un-precise
10. the power of the legislature is not constrained
11. framed by a representative body duly elected by the people
12. generally rigid and may therefore be less responsive and adaptable
13. a procedure separate from that of enacting ordinary law is provided for its amendment
or revision
14. constitutional documents are inevitably biased because they endorse one set of values
or principles over another
15. individual liberty is less securely protected
16. promulgated on a specific date in history
17. most of the principles of the government have never been enacted in the form of laws
18. most of the principles of the government have never been enacted in the form of laws
47
Written constitutions Unwritten constitutions
Constitutional conventions: definitions
Based on the definitions sum up in one sentence, what ’constitutional convention’ means.
Practices relating to the exercise of their functions by the Crown, the government, Parliament,
and the judiciary that are not legally enforceable but are commonly followed as if they were.
(Oxford Dictionary of Law, OUP, 1997)
AV Dicey: "conventions, understandings, habits or practices which, though they may regulate
the conduct of the several members of the sovereign power…are not really laws at all since
they are not enforced by the courts. This portion of constitutional law may, for the sake of
distinction, be termed the 'conventions of the constitution', or constitutional morality…"
Fenwick: "Conventions may be roughly defined as non-legal, generally agreed rules about
how government should be conducted and, in particular, governing the relations between
different organs of government"
(http://www.lawteacher.net/constitutional-law/essays/constitutional-conventions-obligation.php)
The Classification of Conventions
Why do you think these conventions have developed?

Make a list of conventions connected to: the Queen, the Prime minister, the Cabinet and the
Parliament.
The (Crown) Queen can legally declare war and peace; dissolve parliament at any time; refuse
to assent to bills; appoint new ministers of her choice. In practice, within the modern
constitution, the Queen’s ability to do any of these things is severely restricted. Her Majesty
48
will exercise her legal powers in the majority of cases on the advice of the ministers. Again
she must usually assent to bills.
The choice of Prime Minister is restricted to that person who can command a majority in the
House of Commons. Obviously, if there was no clear-cut candidate, then the Queen’s power
would be much stronger.
The Queen must appoint ministers of the Prime Ministerʹs choosing and they must be
members of one of the Houses of Parliament or quickly become one. … Parliament must be
summoned at least once a year. The government can continue to be in office while it
commands a majority of the House. The government is collectively responsible to Parliament
and is judged as a group by Parliament. It speaks with one voice, and discussions in Cabinet
should be secret. As a result one government cannot see the Cabinet papers of a previous
government. Ministers form the government (executive) but only a select few become Cabinet
ministers.
The Cabinet is entirely a result of convention. It has been recognised by the courts
occasionally and Cabinet ministers pay has been authorised by statute. Ministers unable to toe
the government line should resign. Ministers that do not agree with government policy have to
make a choice between power and conscience. That there is so little Cabinet dissent indicates
that power is more operative than conscience and that power is an effective coercive factor in
silencing dissent.
The theory that the collective responsibility of the government is subject to the control of
Parliament is not significant since the government usually controls a majority of the House in
any case - though it can be seen that when the government is heavy handed and commands a
large majority, a back bench revolt is possible and may force the government to change its
policies.
Ministers are also individually responsible to Parliament for their actions, for conduct
unbecoming of a minister, as exemplified by the resignations of Cecil Parkinson and Douglas
Fairbourne, and are also responsible for the conduct of their Departments as with the
resignations of Sir Thomas Dougdale overthe Critchell Down Affair and more recently Estelle
Morris, Minister for Education over the A-Level marking fiasco.
The Commons as an elected body should prevail over the Lords. Both Houses can control
their own proceedings in the manner that they think fit. This has resulted in the rules
regarding Parliamentary privilege.
The majority in Parliament should not stifle the minority. The Speaker should take the view-
point of each of the parties in turn.
Conversely, the make up of Parliamentary Committees should reflect the strength of the
parties. Peers of the House of Lords who do not possess high judicial rank should not attend
when the House is sitting in its judicial role. In the past, certain Lords have attended but have
wisely been ignored by the Law Lords.
The U.K. parliament should not, by convention, legislate for independent Commonwealth
countries against their wishes. When appointing a Governor general, the Queen should
consult the advice of the government of the country concerned.
(http://www.nadr.co.uk/articles/published/ConstitutionalLaw/Chapter005Conventions.pdf)
49
Translation
Sentences used in legal texts are often long and complex. Divide the sentences taken from the
previous text into clauses for better understanding.
The theory that the collective responsibility of the government is subject to the control of
Parliament is not significant since the government usually controls a majority of the House in
any case - though it can be seen that when the government is heavy handed and commands a
large majority, a back bench revolt is possible and may force the government to change its
policies.
Ministers are also individually responsible to Parliament for their actions, for conduct
unbecoming of a minister, as exemplified by the resignations of Cecil Parkinson and Douglas
Fairbourne, and are also responsible for the conduct of their Departments as with the
resignations of Sir Thomas Dougdale overthe Critchell Down Affair and more recently Estelle
Morris, Minister for Education over the A-Level marking fiasco.
Texts are sometimes difficult to understand because they contain a lot of pronouns tthat get
their actual meaning in the context. Can you find out what the underlined words refer to in
the text?
Another important device for organizing texts is conjunctions that are needed for coherence
and logical reasoning. Find them in the text and translate them into hungarian.
The Constitutional Court of Hungary
Put the words into the text. There are two extra words you do not need to use.
appointed, judges, review, elect, judicial, majority, appeal, order, statutes, seat, budget,
serves
The Constitutional Court of Hungary is a special institution of Hungary, making judicial

____________ of the acts of the Parliament of Hungary. The official ___________ of the
Constitutional Court is Budapest.
Since 1 September 2011, the Constitutional Court is composed of 15 ___________. The
Parliament will __________ with a two-third _____________ of the Members of Parliament a
President, with a mandate that lasts until the term of the judge’s mandate. One or two Vice-
Presidents, _____________ by the President of the Court, stand in for the President in the
event of his absence for any reason. The Constitutional court makes decisions on the
constitutionality of laws, and there is no right of ____________ against these decisions. The
Constitutional Court _____________ as the main body for the protection of the Fundamental
Law, its tasks being the review of the constitutionality of ____________, and the protection
of constitutional ______________ and fundamental rights guaranteed by the Fundamental
Law. The Constitutional Court performs its tasks independently.
With its own ___________ and its judges being elected by Parliament it does not constitute a
part of the ordinary ________________ system.
50
Constitutional Court
Translate the summary of the decision of the Constitutional Court into English
2014.01.16 AB határozat alkotmányjogi panasz visszautasításáról (IV/2623/2013.)
Az Alkotmánybíróság január 14-én visszautasította a sportról szóló 2004. évi I.

törvény 59. § (8) bekezdése alaptörvény-ellenességének megállapítására és
megsemmisítésére irányuló alkotmányjogi panaszt. A támadott – 2010. január 1-
jével beiktatott és 2012. január 1-jével módosított – rendelkezés alapján nem
részesül olimpiai járadékban, aki büntetett előéletű, illetve akivel szemben a
bíróság bűncselekmény elkövetése miatt próbára bocsátást alkalmazott a próbaidő,
illetve a meghosszabbított próbaidő alatt. Az indítványozó előadta, hogy a
Budapesti II. és III. Kerületi Bíróság 2007. január 18-án jogerőre emelkedett
ítéletében bűnösnek találta garázdaság vétségében és egy évre próbára bocsátotta.
Az illetékes szakállamtitkár az olimpiai járandóságát megvonta. Az indítványozó
szerint a támadott rendelkezés visszaható hatállyal állapít meg kötelezettséget, Az
indítványozó szerint a támadott rendelkezés visszaható hatállyal állapít meg
kötelezettséget, ami ellentétes a jogalkotásról szóló 2010. évi CXXX. törvény 2. §
(2) bekezdésével, valamint a sérti az Alaptörvény B) cikk (1) bekezdését is. Az
Alkotmánybíróság vizsgálata keretében észlelte, hogy az olimpiai járadékhoz való
jog a sporttörvény által biztosított jog, amely sem alapvető jognak, sem az
Alaptörvényben biztosított egyéb, nem alapvető jognak nem minősül. Ebből
következően az olimpiai járadékhoz való jog nem áll alkotmányjogi panasz
keretében érvényesíthető alaptörvényi védelem alatt, így az Alkotmánybíróság az
indítvány visszaható hatállyal kapcsolatos érvelésének és a sérelmezett jogszabály
alkotmányosságának vizsgálatába nem bocsátkozhatott. A végzéshez Bragyova
András, Kiss László, Kovács Péter, Lévay Miklós, Stumpf István és Szalay Péter
alkotmánybírók különvéleményt csatoltak.
(http://www.mkab.hu/)
Case summary
Based on the following guidelines, make a summary of the case below:
• A panasz
• A „csendes wellness” kifejezés jelentése
• A panasz tárgya
• A hatóság eljárása
• A szálloda védekezése
• Az alkalmazott törvény
• Az arányossági teszt
• A hatóság döntése és a döntés indoklása
51
EGYENLŐ BÁNÁSMÓD HATÓSÁG
A kérelmező hatósághoz intézett beadványában a bepanaszolt szálloda ún. „csendes

wellness”szolgáltatásával összefüggésben tett panaszt. A kérelmező álláspontja szerint az ún.
„csendeswellness” szolgáltatási módszer (a bepanaszolt hotel újonnan kialakított
medenceterében található „csendes wellness” részlegben 7 és 9, valamint 17 és 21 óra között
csak 14 éven felüliek tartózkodhatnak) alkalmazásával a szóban forgó szálloda ott
tartózkodásuk alatt 3 és fél éves kislányával szemben életkora alapján megsértette az egyenlő
bánásmód követelményét.
A hatóság a kérelemben foglaltak alapján közigazgatási eljárást indított a bepanaszolt
szállodával szemben, egyben az eljárás alá vont képviselőjét nyilatkozattételre hívta fel. Az
eljárás alá vont képviselője írásban előadta, hogy az ún. „csendes wellnesst” évtizedes
nemzetközi és hazai szállodai szolgáltatások mintájára alakították ki a szállodában. Az eljárás
alá vont képviselője a hatóság elé terjesztett érdemi védekezésében kifejtette, hogy a „csendes
wellness” „csendessége” alatt (azaz 7 és 9, valamint 17 és 21 óra között) a hotel 14 év alatti
vendégei a 10 méteres feszített víztükrű medencét, a száraz és nedves szaunát, a jakuzzit, a
beltéri merülő- és taposómedencét, valamint a kondicionáló termet használhatják. Ezen felül a
szállodában kialakított új medencetér 9 és 17 óra között épp úgy használható a fiatalabb
korosztály, mint a 14 éven felüliek számára.
A hatóság álláspontja szerint a kérelmezőnek és gyermekének hátrányt okozott az eljárás alá
vont ún.„csendes wellness” szolgáltatási módszere, miszerint a szálloda új medenceterében
kialakított „csendes wellness” részlegben 7 és 9, valamint 17 és 21 óra között csak 14 éven
felüliek tartózkodhatnak. Az eljárás alá vont e gyakorlatát a hatóság az egyenlő bánásmódról
és az esélyegyenlőség előmozdításáról szóló 2003. évi CXXV. törvény (Ebktv.) 7. § (2)
bekezdésének b) pontja alapján arányossági tesztnek vette alá. E teszt alapján, tekintettel arra,
hogy a kérelmezőnek és kislányának 9 és 17 óra között lehetősége volt az új medencetérben
való fürdésre, 7 és 9, valamint 17 és 21 óra között pedig a szálloda egyéb wellness
szolgáltatásainak igénybevételére és minderről a szállodai szolgáltatás igénybevételét
megelőzően a kérelmező az eljárás alá vont weboldaláról információval rendelkezett, a
hatóság megállapította, hogy az eljárás alá vont „csendes wellness” szolgáltatási módszere a
kérelmező oldalán nem keletkeztetett aránytalan sérelmet. Vagyis, az eljárás alá vont az
Ebktv. 7. § (2) bekezdésének b) pontja szerint járt el, így intézkedése nem sértette az egyenlő
bánásmód követelményét. Ezért a hatóság a kérelmet elutasította.
(http://www.egyenlobanasmod.hu/jogesetek/hu/199-2013.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,0,648)
52
Migration
Analyse the following diagrams.
(http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45220000/gif/_45220756_f976b9b0-5944-4e6d-80bc-
bfcd90b36c2b.gif)
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25135418)
53
Citizenship
Make a short informative summary about naturalization in Hungary. Use as many of the
following words as you can. If you need any further information on the topic, click on:
http://www.keh.hu/hungarian_citizenship/1583-Citizenship_cases
adopted, ascendant line, children of minor age, citizenship, clean criminal record,
continuous residence, domicile, examination in basic constitutional studies, free entry,
Hungarian language, immigrant, legal age, minor child, naturalization, reside, refugee,
re-naturalization, renunciation, residence, resident, spouse, stateless, stipulate,
submission, terminate, territory of Hungary, valid marriage, violate
Just for fun
David Cameron and the British citizenship test
http://youtu.be/5UsEL639vcQ
A Frenchman, a German, an Irishman and an Englishman
A Frenchman, a German, an Irishman and an Englishman are talking together after some
rigorous exercise.
'I'm so tired and thirsty,' moaned the Frenchman, 'I think I must have a glass of wine.'
'I'm so tired and thirsty,' responded the German, 'I think I must have a beer.'
'I'm so tired and thirsty,' murmured the Irishman, 'I think I must have a Guinness.'
'I'm so tired and thirsty,' muttered the Englishman, 'I think I must have diabetes.'
54
Nationality stereotypes
(https://encrypted-
tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCSLSSeJEsW8qVpIAT2MmQprPDYnIY2iZ_O4-BwGRgEQ-
FHO_w)
Törölt: Oldaltörés
abolish ige eltöröl, hatályon kívül helyez, érvénytelenít (törvényt v.
jogszabályt)
abolition fn eltörlés, hatályon kívül helyezés
accession fn csatlakozás vmihez
accumulation fn vminek a hozzáadással növelése
adapt ige (a) alkalmassá tesz (b) átalakít, átdolgoz (c) alkalmazkodik
adaptable mn (a) alkalmazható (b) hozzáillő, rugalmas
adopt ige (a) örökbe fogad (b) átvesz vmit, egyetért vmivel (c)
törvényt elfogad
amend ige módosít, javít
amendable mn módosítható, javítható
amendment fn (a) módosítás (b) törvényjavaslat módosítás (c) US
alkotmány kiegészítés
appeal 1 fn fellebbezés 2 ige fellebbez
appoint ige kinevez
appointment fn (a) bejelentett találkozó (b) kinevezés (c) állás
ascendant fn ős, felmenő ági rokon
assembly fn (a) gyülekezés (b) gyűlés, közgyűlés
55
beleegyezés
authorise/authorize ige (a) engedélyez (b) felhatalmaz
backbencher fn független képviselő
ballot fn (titkos) szavazás
biased mn elfogult, részrehajló
budget 1 fn (állami) költségvetés 2 ige beoszt, előirányoz
candidate fn pályázó, jelölt
challenge 1 fn (a) kihívás (b) kifogás, ellenvetés 2 ige (a) kihív (b)
kétségbe von, vitat (c) megtámad, ellenez
citizen fn (a) városlakó, városi polgár (b) állampolgár
citizenship fn állampolgárság
clear-cut mn (a) világos, tiszta, áttekinthető (b) félreérthetetlen
codify ige kodifikál
codified mn kodifikált
coercive mn (a) kényszerítő (b) korlátozó
command 1 fn (a) parancs, rendelkezés (b) irányítás, vezetés 2 ige
parancsol, elrendel
• command a majority ige többséget élvez
conduct 1 fn magatartás 2 ige vezet, levezet
conscience fn lelkiismeret
consolidate ige (a) egységesít, jogszabályokat egységes szerkezetbe foglal
(b) peres ügyeket egyesít
constitute ige alkot
constitution fn (a) alkotmány (b) alapszabály
Constitutional Court fn alkotmánybíróság
constitutionality fn alkotmányosság
constrained mn erőltetett, mesterkélt, nem természetes
convention fn (hallgatólagos) megállapodás
deliberate 1 mn szándékos, önhatalmú 2 ige megfontol, tanácskozik
deliberation fn mérlegelés
derive ige (a) származtat (b) szerez, nyer
devolution fn hatáskör átruházása, alacsonyabb szintre telepítése
devolve fn hatáskört átruház, alacsonyabb szintre telepít
dissent 1 fn egyet nem értés 2 ige ellenvéleményen van
dissolution fn feloszlatás, megszüntetés, felbontás
dissolve ige feloszlat, megszüntet, felbont
distribute ige szétoszt, feloszt
domicile 1 fn állandó lakhely, székhely 2 ige lakik vhol (állandó
jelleggel)
duly hsz (a) megfelelően, kellően, szabályosan (b) rendben, kellő
időben
effort fn erőfeszítés, törekvés
• make an effort ige igyekszik, mindent megtesz
elaborate 1 mn (a) alapos, gondosan kidolgozott (b) bonyolult 2 ige (a)
gondosan kidolgoz (b) feldolgoz (témát)
enact ige törvénybe iktat
enactment fn (a) törvényalkotás (b) törvény
56
endorse ige (a) hozzájárul, jóváhagy (b) jogosítványba közlekedési

szabálysértés elkövetésének tényét bejegyzi (c) hátirattal ellát
enforce ige (a) kierőszakol, kikényszerít (b) érvényre juttat (c)
érvényesít (jogot, követelést)
entrenched mn változtathatatlan
evident mn nyilvánvaló, világos, magától értetődő
evolve ige kibontakozik, kialakul, kifejlődik
exemplify ige (a) szemléltet (b) példáz
fiasco fn kudarc
flexibility fn (a) hajlékonyság (b) rugalmasság (c) alkalmazkodó
képesség
for the sake of hsz (a) vmi kedvéért (b) vmi érdekében (c) vmi miatt
force 1 fn erő, hatály 2 ige kényszerít
Governor General fn (fő)kormányzó, a brit korona képviselője a Nemzetközösség
egyes országaiban
ignore ige figyelmen kívül hagy, nem vesz tudomásul
immigrant fn bevándorló
impact fn (a) ütközés, becsapódás (b) hatás, befolyás
inevitable mn elkerülhetetlen, szükségszerű
inevitably hsz elkerülhetetlenül, feltétlenül, szükségszerűen
latter mn későbbi, utóbbi
migration fn (a) költözés (b) kivándorlás (c) bevándorlás
naturalization fn honosítás, állampolgárság megszerzése
outline 1 fn vázlat, áttekintés 2 ige felvázol, körvonalaz
peer fn (a) főrend, a Lordok Háza tagja (b) kortárs, (sors)társ
peeress fn a Lordok Háza női tagja, főrend felesége
polity fn (a) államigazgatás (b) közösség, államközösség
prevail (over ) ige uralkodik, érvényesül, győzedelmeskedik vki felett
principle fn (alap)elv
privilege fn (a) előjog, kiváltság, privilégium (b) mentesség, mentelmi
jog
procedure fn eljárás (mód), folyamat
promulgate ige kihirdet, közhírré tesz
promulgation fn (a) kihirdetés (b) hatályba léptetés
provision fn rendelkezés, intézkedés
refugee fn (politikai) menekült
refuse 1 fn hulladék, szemét 2 ige elutasít, visszautasít, megtagad
regime fn (a) kormányforma (b) uralom, rezsim, kormányrendszer
• regime change fn rendszerváltozás
rely (on) ige megbízik vkiben, támaszkodik vkire
renounce ige lemond, felad
renunciation fn (a) lemondás (b) megtagadás (c) felmondás
residence fn (a) lakóhely (b) tartózkodás
resident fn (a) állandó lakos, lakóhellyel rendelkező, letelepedett (b)
rezidens, meghatalmazott képviselő, ügyvivő
reside ige lakik, tartózkodik, lakóhellyel rendelkezik
57
resign ige lemond

resignation fn lemondás
responsive mn (a) érzékeny, fogékony (b) válaszoló, felelő
restrict ige korlátoz, szigorít
restricted mn korlátozott
review 1 fn (a) felülvizsgálat (b) szemle, hetilap, havilap 2 ige
általánosan felülvizsgál, ellenőriz
revision fn módosítás, felülvizsgálat
revolt 1 fn felkelés, lázadás, zendülés 2 ige felkel, lázad
rigorous mn szigorú, rideg, kérlelhetetlen
rule 1 fn szabály, előírás 2 ige (a) határozatot hoz (b) uralkodik,
érvényesül (c) kormányoz
• rule of law fn joguralom, jogállamiság
sovereign 1 fn szuverén, felség 2 mn szuverén, független
sovereignty fn szuverenitás, felségjog, felségterület, korlátlan hatalom
spouse fn házastárs
stateless mn hontalan
statute fn törvény
stifle ige (a) fojtogat, megfojt (b) elnyom, elfojt (c) tompít
stipulate ige szerződésben kiköt
stipulation fn szerződéses kikötés, feltétel
subject (to) 1 mn (a) vmitől függő, vminek tárgya (b) kitett, vmi alá eső 2
ige vminek alávet, kitesz vkit
submission fn bíróság előtt tett kijelentés, nyilatkozat
submit ige (a) benyújt, előterjeszt (b) állít, kijelent, nyilatkozatot tesz
(c) elismer, behódol
sum up ige összefoglal
summon ige behív, berendel, idéz
terminate ige megszüntet, felmond
treaty fn szerződés (államközi) egyezmény
ultimate mn végső
unitary mn egységes
unlike 1 mn különböző, eltérő, más 2 hsz nem úgy, mint, ellentétben
valid mn (a) jogos, helytálló, igazolható (b) érvényes
vest (in) ige felruház, ráruház, rábíz
violate ige megszeg
violation fn megszegés, megsértés, jogsértés, szabályszegés
58
GOVERNANCE 2. rész
UNIT 4 ELECTIONS and POLITICAL PARTIES
http://voicesforfree
dom.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/election1-copy.jpg
1) Electoral systems
1.1 Words and concepts
Choose one of these word clouds and make sure you understand the words it contains.
Then pair up with a student who has chosen the other cloud and explain five of your words in
English.
Your partner will have to find these words in your cloud.
Then change roles.
59
http://www.seomraranga.co
m/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/election_wordle-300x158.jpg
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-31/promise-tracker-other-responses-word-cloud/5635926
1.2 Electoral systems around the world
Do you know how votes cast can be

translated into results at elections, that is
seats won by parties and candidates? There
are a number of different systems but the
three biggest ones are the proportional, the
60
plurality and the mixed systems. The pie chart below shows the number of
countries belonging to the particular electoral system families:
http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/es/onePage
1.3 Voting systems by type
Do you know which system is applied in Hungary?
If you are not quite sure, you might want to read this brief explanation:
Voting systems by type
Proportional
Mixed systems Majoritarian systems
Representation
Combines the features of
More representative as seats Systems, like FPTP, that
majoritarian-style systems
are distributed according to tend to be simple but are
and Proportional
vote share. highly disproportional.
Representation.
Proportional Representation
Single Transferable Vote
How does the single

transferable Vote work?
Candidates don't need a

majority of votes to be elected,
just a known 'quota', or share
of the votes, determined by the
size of the electorate and the
number of positions to be
filled.
http://www.accuratedemocracy.com/d_ballot.htm
Each voter gets one vote, which can transfer from their first-preference to their second-
preference, so if your preferred candidate has no chance of being elected or has enough votes
already, your vote is transferred to another candidate in accordance with your instructions.
61
Candidates don't need a majority of votes to be elected, just a known 'quota', or share of the
votes, determined by the size of the electorate and the number of positions to be filled.
Each voter gets one vote, which can transfer from their first-preference to their second-
preference, so if your preferred candidate has no chance of being elected or has enough votes
already, your vote is transferred to another candidate in accordance with your instructions. -
Party List PR
http://www.a
ccuratedemocracy.com/d_ballot.htm
How does Party List-PR work?
There are two different types of Party List-PR, Closed List and Open List. In both cases
parties present lists of candidates and seats are awarded according to their party’s share of the
vote. This is usually done using an electoral formula or a quota which prevents too many
small parties from winning seats.
Open List: Voters choose individual candidates from the list provided by each party and
individual candidates are elected according to the popular vote.
Closed List: Voters vote for the party and therefore the list as a whole. Candidates are elected
in the order they appear on the list (as decided by the party) until all the seats have been filled.
Semi-open lists: This gives voters some influence over who is elected, but most of the
candidates will be elected in list order.
Majoritarian systems
First Past The Post (FPTP), also known as Simple majority voting or Plurality voting
How does First Past The Post work?
62
Under First Past The Post (FPTP)

voting takes place in single-member
constituencies. Voters put a cross in a
box next to their favoured candidate
and the candidate with the most votes
in the constituency wins. All other
votes count for nothing. We believe
FPTP is the very worst system for
electing a representative government.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/common
s/7/74/UK_ballot_paper_2005.JPG
Mixed systems
Additional Member System (AMS), also known as Mixed Member Proportional
How does the Additional

Member System work?
AMS is a hybrid voting system. It

combines elements of First Past
the Post where voters mark an X
next to the candidate they want to
represent them in their
constituency, and proportional
representation, where voters select
from a list of candidates for each
party who represent a larger
regional constituency. This helps
to overcome the disproportionality
often associated with First Past
the Post elections.
Under AMS, each voter typically

gets two votes – one for a
candidate and one for a party.
http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/
Each constituency returns a single candidate, in the style of First Past the Post. The votes for
the party list candidates are then allocated on top of these constituency seats to ‘top up’ the
number of seats won by each party to represent their share of the votes proportionally. These
are the “additional members”.
http://www.accuratedemocracy.com/d_ballot.htm
63
You can find further information about these electoral systems on the following websites:
http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/?PageID=476
http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/es/onePage
http://www.idea.int/esd/glossary.cfm#FPTP
1.4 Video
Watch this video

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R58tIPhRYI0&index=6&list=PLCD92C4BE0CAED481)
explaining New Zealanders how different electoral systems work. Then classify the systems
described by placing them in the relevant box of the chart below.
Proportional Majoritarian
Mixed systems
Representation systems
1.5 Discussion
Choose one type of electoral system and collect information about how it works, about its
advantages and disadvantages.
Then form groups of three and discuss which type would be the best for
(a) general elections in your country,
(b) student guild elections .
1.6 Search
There are a number of sources you can learn legal English from, one of them being the
Internet. Below you can find an external webpage containing a module designed to help non-
native speakers of English to enlarge their vocabulary associated with elections.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/specials/cojo/elections/Course/asset/main.html
64
Try and find other useful and reliable sources, and then share them with group.
2) The right to vote
In a parliamentary democracy members of parliament (abbreviated to MPs), or at least a part

of them are elected at a general election, or at a by-election following the death or retirement
of an MP. Under Article 2 (1) of the Fundamental Law of Hungary, Members of Parliament
shall be elected by the constituents by direct universal and equal suffrage in a secret ballot
which guarantees free expression of the will of voters, in accordance with the procedures laid
down in an implementing act. However, the question as to who can a voter be still remains.
2.1 Discussion
“Everyone over the age of 18 can vote in an election”.
a) Read the extract below and find all the relevant information with which you can make this
simple statement more precise.
Every British citizen aged eighteen years or over who is not serving a sentence of
imprisonment and is not a peer is eligible to be placed on the electoral register in a
constituency (Representation of the People Act 1983). Normally this involves residence in the
constituency on a certain day (10 October) but members of the armed forces and now British
citizens who live abroad but have been registered within the previous five years can be
entered on the register (Representation of the People Act 1985). At the moment there are 650
constituencies, the boundaries being drawn by impartial Boundary Commissions whose
recommendations need the approval of both Houses of Parliament (Parliamentary
Constituencies Act 1986).
From Ganz: Understanding Public Law. Sweet and Maxwell, 1994
b) Who is eligible to vote in Hungary?
2.2 Translation
Legal texts are rather formal and impersonal.
1) A means serving this purpose is the frequent use of passive sentences, which usually
cannot be translated into Hungarian using the same structure.
Underline the passive structures in the text above and translate them into Hungarian.
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2) The formality and impersonality of style is also increased by the use of complex
expressions instead of a simple verb.
Transform the following structures into verbal ones. How would you translate them into
Hungarian? You should not stick to the structure but concentrate on the meaning and the
formality of style.
this involves residence ________________________________________________________
recommendations need the approval of __________________________________________
3) The translation of English texts is complicated by expressions referring to institutions

without Hungarian equivalents. In this situation, unless there is an accepted Hungarian
translation, the original English expression must be used accompanied, in certain situations,
by an explanatory comment in Hungarian.
e.g. the boundaries being drawn by impartial Boundary Commissions =
a választókerületek határait pártatlan bizottságok (Boundary Commissions) jelölik ki
2.3 Writing
Who is eligible to vote in Hungary?
Write a short informative paragraph about it in a formal and impersonal style.
3) General elections in Hungary
3.1 Basic information UK vs. Hungary
Read this short informative text about general elections in the UK.
Then compare the situation it describes to the situation in Hungary. Use the headings as a
guideline.
General elections
When Parliament is dissolved

every seat in the House of
Commons becomes vacant and a
general election is held. Each
constituency in the UK elects
one MP (Member of Parliament)
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to a seat in the House of Commons. The political party that wins a majority of seats in the
House of Commons usually forms the Government.
How often are general elections held?
The date of the next general election is set at 7 May 2015 after the Fixed Term Parliament Act
was passed on 15 September 2011.
The act provides for general elections to be held on the first Thursday in May every five
years. There are two provisions that trigger an election other than at five year intervals.
• A motion of no confidence is passed in Her Majesty's Government by a simple

majority and 14 days elapses without the House passing a confidence motion in any
new Government formed
• A motion for a general election is agreed by two thirds of the total number of seats in
the Commons including vacant seats (currently 434 out of 650)
Previous to this act, the duration of a Parliament was set at five years, although many were
dissolved before that, at the request of the Prime Minister to the Queen.
How does it work?
MPs are elected from a choice of candidates by a simple majority system in which each
person casts one vote. The candidate with the most votes then becomes the MP for that
constituency.
Candidates may be from a political party registered with the Electoral Commission or they
may stand as an 'Independent' rather than represent a registered party.
Where do people vote?
Most voting takes place in polling stations but anyone eligible to vote can apply for a postal
vote.
Overseas voters
British citizens living overseas are entitled to be registered to vote in UK Parliamentary

elections for up to 15 years in the constituency they were registered in before leaving the UK.
They are not entitled to vote in UK local elections or elections to the devolved assemblies.
Returning officers
After a general election has taken place and the vote has been counted, the Returning Officer
for that constituency declares the result.
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He or she also sends the name of the elected candidate to the Clerk of the Crown at the
Ministry of Justice. The Ministry produces the White Book, a list of all Members of the new
Parliament, which is brought to the Chamber on the first day the Parliament sits. The election
results then appear in the London Gazette.
Last general election
The last general election in the UK took place on 6 May 2010.
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general/
3.2 Election results
A UK General Election was held on 6 May 2010. No single party won an overall majority of
the 650 House of Commons seats, for the first time since February 1974.
Describe the two pie charts illustrating the results of the latest general elections in the UK.
What do they tell you about the fairness of the UK electoral system?
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2010/RP10-036.pdf
Tendencies
What tendencies do these diagrams show?
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http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2010/RP10-036.pdf
3.3 Reading
The new Hungarian electoral system has also been heavily criticised. Read the article below
written by Cas Mudde, assistant professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at
the University of Georgia.
First collect the factual information it gives about the following issues:
a) Changes in the electoral system
b) Results of the election
c) The critique of the new electoral system
Then collect the linguistic tools (words and expressions) which indicate that the text is not an
objective and neutral analysis.
69
What attitude do they convey?
The 2014 Hungarian parliamentary elections, or how to craft a constitutional majority
By Cas Mudde April 14
Last weekend’s parliamentary elections in Hungary should have been a major event, at least
within the European Union and the United States. Over the past four years the E.U. and the
United States have criticized the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for its
authoritarian, conservative and nationalist
tendencies. These were institutionalized in the
new constitution, which the government
rammed through the toothless Hungarian
parliament, in which the national-conservative
Fidesz-KDNP party coalition held a
constitutional majority. Scores of domestic and
foreign observers have highlighted the many
problematic parts of the constitution, although
very little has been changed as a consequence
of these critiques.
[…] So, what happened in the Hungarian election? Well, first of all, the rules of the game
were changed significantly prior to the election. The one-chamber legislature was almost
halved, from 386 to 199 seats. Moreover, the parliament is now elected under a new electoral
system, designed by Fidesz, which is fairly similar to the mixed-member system in Germany.
The majority of seats, 106, are elected as single-member districts, while the remaining 93 are
distributed proportionally by regional list vote with a national threshold of 5 percent. While
Hungary had been encouraged by international observers to change its opaque electoral
system, and the new system is basically in line with the recommendations, critics warned that
it would significantly favor Fidesz, almost guaranteeing the party a majority in seats, even if it
did not get close to a majority in votes.
Second, the results are largely in line with the last polls before the election. Although Orbán’s
party had unleveled the playing field somewhat before election day, mostly by restricting
campaign possibilities for
political parties, there is no
doubt that Fidesz is by far the
most popular party in the
country. Not only did it get
the most votes in the regional
70
list vote, Fidesz-KDNP won all but 10 of the single-member districts. This notwithstanding, it
actually lost more than 570,000 voters compared to the 2010 elections, a drop of 8.2 percent,
and finished with 44.5 percent of the vote. Still, given the disproportionality of the new
electoral system, this 44.5 percent of the vote leads to 66.8 percent of the seats, a drop of only
1.3 percent.
Whereas Fidesz-KDNP is the electoral loser but political winner, the opposition coalition
Unity is the electoral winner but political loser. While increasing both its vote and seat share
(by 6.7 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively), it won just 10 of the 106 single-member
districts (9.4 percent). The
coalition is primarily based
upon the once dominant
Hungarian Socialist Party
(MSZP), which has become
heavily divided as a
consequence of warring
leaders, some of whom
have founded new, but
ideologically fairly similar,
parties.
In addition to the MSZP, Unity includes four small center-left parties: Democratic Coalition
(DK), of former MSZP prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány; Dialogue for Hungary (PM), a split
from the LMP (see below); Hungarian Liberal Party (LMP), formed by a former member of
parliament from the now defunct liberal Alliance of Freedom (SZDSZ); and, finally, Together
2014 (E-14), a coalition of civil society organizations that came together in the large anti-
Orbán demonstrations of 2012, led by another former prime minister of an MSZP
government.
The euphemistically named Unity coalition was doomed from the beginning. The internal
situation within the coalition is the literal opposite of its name: Although ideologically close,
all five parties are almost more divided by personality clashes than united in their opposition
to Orbán. It took months for the various leaders, virtually all stalwarts of the last unpopular
MSZP government, to agree to one electoral list. The many centrist voters looking for a
credible center-left alternative largely ignored or rejected the coalition. Unity performed well
only in certain parts of Budapest, which had always been dominated by MSZP and SZDSZ.
The electoral and political winner of the Hungarian elections is the far-right Movement for a
Better Hungary, commonly known as Jobbik. It received 20.54 percent of the vote, gaining
almost 4 percent compared to 2010. That result made it the most successful far-right party in
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the European Union today, albeit narrowly. (The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) gained 20.51
percent of the vote in the Austrian parliamentary elections of 2013.)
Almost 1 million Hungarians voted for the party that is mostly known for its stringently anti-
Roma and anti-Jews discourse and its banned paramilitary group, the Hungarian Guard. The
almost 130,000 new voters were won across the country. Most remarkable, however, was that
Jobbik finished second in 41
of the 106 single-member
districts (see below), almost
beating Fidesz-KDNP in the
industrial city of Miskolc in
the Northeast. This
unexpected result, a few
percentage points higher than
in most polls, is as much a
testament to Jobbik’s strength
and its relatively moderate
campaign as to Unity’s fundamental weakness. The elections showed that Jobbik’s success
was not a one-time event, as it had been for the far-right Hungarian Justice and Life Party
(MIÉP) in 1998. And they demonstrated that Jobbik is the only really unified party
challenging the Fidesz-KDNP.
The fourth and final party to enter the Hungarian parliament is called Politics Can Be
Different (LMP), which lost slightly compared to 2010 (-2.2 percent), but somewhat
surprisingly was able to clear the 5-percent hurdle again, despite the split of E-14. The LMP is
a “green-liberal” party with a moderately alter-globalization agenda. Its main support base is
made up of higher educated professionals in urban settings, most notably the capital Budapest.
Just as in the previous legislative period, it will play little role in Hungarian politics.
In the end, the elections have clearly proved the critics of the Orbán government right. While
Fidesz is by far the most popular party, with almost twice as many voters as Unity, its
dominant power is not so much a consequence of popular support but of political
craftsmanship. Leaving aside the campaign manipulations before the elections, criticized by
the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE), its constitutional majority is the result
of an increased electorate and an unfair electoral system, both the work of the previous Orbán
government.
Regarding the first, an interesting detail of the elections is the crucial role that the “non-
resident voters” have played. This special category includes mainly the so-called “Hungarians
abroad,” i.e. citizens from neighboring countries who speak Hungarian and mostly live in
territories that Hungary lost after World War I. The Hungarian right-wing has always been
obsessed with the territories lost as a consequence of the Trianon Treaty of 1920. After
several earlier unsuccessful attempts at providing citizenship to the “Hungarians abroad,” the
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Orbán government extended the right to vote to them in 2011. Less than 200,000 actually
registered, but those who voted repaid Fidesz handsomely last weekend. Of the 125,000
“nonresident Hungarian” voters, amounting to roughly 2.5 percent of the total number, a
staggering 95.5 percent of them voted for Fidesz-KDNP. Ironically, the one seat that this
amounts to is exactly the difference between a large majority of 132 seats (66 percent) and a
constitutional majority of 133 seats (67 percent).
Cas Mudde is assistant professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the
University of Georgia.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/04/14/the-2014-hungarian-
parliamentary-elections-or-how-to-craft-a-constitutional-majority/
4) Political parties
Representative democracy cannot function properly without political parties. Political parties
provide the vehicle for the electorate to express itself by accommodating diverse interest
groups and offering voters different political options. They are also key institutions for
inclusive participation and accountable representation, responding and delivering to the needs
of the people.
4.1 Video: Engage political parties
4.1.1 Listen to Helen Clark, Administrator of the United

Nations Development Programme speaking about one of
the tasks of political parties.
Click here
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HZ2NBbOAx4) to start
the video. After the first listening, answer the two
questions below.
1) What is this particular task?
2) Is she satisfied with the performance of political parties in this respect?
73
4.1.2 Watch the video again and do the gap-fill exercise.
To make progress on gender _______________ and political systems, it’s also

_______________ to engage political parties as they provide the _______________ for
political _______________, they _______________ policies for the countries, they select the
_______________ who are running for political _______________. Political parties can and
should be key _______________ for women’s participation put so often they have provided
key _______________ and _______________.
4.2 Political parties in Hungary
What do you know about political parties in Hungary? How many of them are there in
Parliament at present?
Create a fact sheet of the political parties operating in Hungary since the political transition.
You might want to use the guide created for the 2010 General Election in the UK as an
example.
Labour
Britain's democratic socialist party led by Gordon Brown

and currently in power.
Conservatives
The Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly

known as the Conservative Party, led by David Cameron.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats were formed in 1988 by a merger

of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party.
UKIP
The United Kingdom Independence Party - UKIP - now
74
claims to be the UK's fourth party.
Green Party
The Green Party is a growing political movement

promoting social and environmental justice.
Respect
The Respect Party was set up in January 2004 because of

the need for a left-wing alternative to the three main
parties.
English Democrats
The English Democrats were formed in 2002 to counter

the problem that there is no party putting the interests of
England first.
The Jury Team
The Jury Team want the electorate to have the ultimate

power as the jury for the country.
TUSC
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition is a socialist

alliance launched for the 2010 General Election,
endorsed by Bob Crow.
BNP
The British National Party formed as a splinter group of

the National Front.
Animals Count
Animals Count is a political party for people and animals,

founded in 2006.
Monster Raving Loony Party
Started in 1963 by pop star Screaming Lord Sutch, the

Monster Raving Loony Party has become a tradition in
British politics.
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Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru is led by Ieuan Wyn Jones.
Scottish National Party

The Scottish National Party is led by Alex Salmond.
5) Just for fun
Below you can read about some American and a Hungarian really strange political party. Do
you know of any others?
Politics as Unusual: Six Strange U.S. Political Parties
By Vicki Santillano
These days, Americans are eager for a change from politics as usual. According to a USA
Today/Gallup poll from late August 2010, 58 percent of Americans want a third major party
to rise to power and challenge the domination of Democrats and Republicans. The rise of the
Tea Party movement over the past year clearly demonstrates that. But while Tea Party
devotees are often criticized for their extreme views, they’re not even close to the craziest
third party on the political block. The United States has hosted a surprising number of fringe
groups that are determined to get their unique (to put it politely) off-the-wall opinions heard.
From yesterday’s Surprise Party to today’s The Rent’s Too Damn High Party, bizarre political
groups have been attempting to shake up the system—and succeeding at raising many
eyebrows—for years.
1. The Surprise Party
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Back in 1940, Gracie Allen, wife and comedy partner of George Burns, ran for president
under what she called the Surprise Party. It started as a joke announcement on their radio
show, but the publicity stunt gained momentum when Allen toured the country and gave
speeches about her party’s platform, which included being proud of the national debt because
“it’s the biggest in the world!” She withdrew her name from consideration after a surprisingly
successful candidacy (one town actually wanted to elect her as mayor if she didn’t win), but
thousands of people still wrote her name on the ballot in the real election.
2. The American Vegetarian Party
John Maxwell, an eighty-five-year-old vegetarian restaurant owner, and Symon Gould, an

editor for the publication American Vegetarian, ran for president and vice president,
respectively, in 1948, as members of the Vegetarian Party, which was formed in 1947. Not
surprisingly, its platform was the promotion of vegetarian ethics. For example, Maxwell and
Gould wanted to limit the amount of time farmers could spend raising animals for slaughter.
They didn’t think animals should be used for food or fashion. The party pushed presidential
candidates in the next four elections, but when Gould, one of the founders and the man chosen
for the 1964 ticket, died in 1963, the American Vegetarian Party fizzled as well.
3. Youth International Party
Also known as Yippies, this organization was founded by infamous activist Abbie Hoffman
and his cohorts in order to spread their anarchist and radical ideals. They made their public
debut at the 1968 Democratic Convention, offering up a presidential candidate by the name of
Pigasus the Immortal (it was a two-hundred-pound pig). The Yippies were anti-war, anti-
establishment, and in favor of things like co-ops and alternative media sources. They used
public pranks to garner attention and mock society at large. Unfortunately, these efforts didn’t
always turn out well—a “Festival of Life” planned during the ’68 convention turned into
violent clashes between members and the police. The party isn’t nearly as active today as it
was during the ’60s and ’70s, but it still exists; there’s even a museum and café in New York
dedicated to upholding its history and principles.
4. Guns and Dope Party
Converts to the Guns and Dope Party believe that everyone who wants guns and drugs should
have them, and everybody who doesn’t want them shouldn’t have them. “Like what you like,
enjoy what you enjoy, and don’t take crap from anybody” is their motto. They also believe
that at least 33 percent of Congressional seats should belong to ostriches, and that ostriches in
general should have just as many rights as humans. Currently, they’re advocating for people
who don’t want to vote for the “Two Lying Bastards of the Democan and Republicrat parties”
to write their own names on presidential ballots.
5. Vampyres Witches Pagans Party
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Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey started this group in 2005 and actually got it on the U.S.
Federal Election Committee’s official list. He ran for governor of Minnesota in 2006 and for
president of the United States in 2008, both times speaking very openly about issues such as
his past as a soldier and professional wrestler, whether he drinks blood (he does), and his plan
to publicly impale criminals rather than imprison them. His proclaimed mission was to make
the world more hospitable to witches, pagans, and the like. That goal may have been put on
hold when he was jailed in 2009 for harassing and threatening an ex-girlfriend, though.
6. The Rent Is Too Damn High Party
Based in New York City, this organization is made up mostly of one man, Jimmy McMillan,
who believes that rent is way too high. “There’s nothing else to talk about,” he raps in his
campaign song. McMillan ran for mayor in 2005 and 2009, but he’s getting far more press for
his 2010 gubernatorial bid, thanks to a memorable speech at the October 18 election debate.
“Listen … someone’s child’s stomach just growled. Did you hear it? You gotta listen like
me,” he declared. His party also has a rather open view about marriage: “The Rent Is too
Damn High Party feels if you want to marry a shoe, I’ll marry you.”
It’s amazing how a few individuals’ far-fetched ideas can spark an entire political
movement—even if said movement only consists of those few individuals and a few of their
friends. It’s easy to see why some of these political parties didn’t go very far; the idea that
eating a hamburger should be illegal or that desire should be the only requirement for gun
ownership aren’t remotely close to good. But the rent’s being too damn high? That’s one of
the most honest statements to come out of a politician’s mouth in a long time. If Jimmy
McMillan could somehow find a way to lower the sky-high costs of living around the country,
The Rent Is Too Damn High Party might just become that major third party so many
Americans want. Of course, then he’d have to find something else to talk about.
http://www.divinecaroline.com/life-etc/culture-causes/politics-unusual-six-strange-us-political-parties
Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party
An example of Two-tailed Dog Party fake political posters: this poster is captioned "For a
smaller Hungary!", in reference to Hungarian irredentists supporting the revocation of the
Trianon Treaty.
The Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party (Magyar Kétfarkú Kutya Párt) is a joke political
party in Hungary. It was founded in Szeged in
2006.
78
Political activity
All of the electoral candidates are called István Nagy ("Stephen Large", the English
equivalent being Stephen Smith). The name was chosen because Nagy is the single most
common surname in Hungary, and István is a very common first name.
The Two-tailed Dog Party is not a registered political party, but planned to participate in the
2006 elections. The party made the following promises: eternal life, world peace, one work
day per week, two sunsets a day (in various colours), smaller gravitation, free beer and low
taxes. Other promises include building a mountain on the Great Hungarian Plain.
The party is on good terms with another joke party, the Fourth Way, which is led by two
birds. However, there are some disagreements between them, since Fourth Way plans to
abolish bird flu, and this is opposed by the Two-tailed Dog Party, in accord with virus rights
principles.
The election posters could mainly be seen in Szeged. Most of the posters featured the
candidate, István Nagy, who is a two-tailed dog, with inscriptions like "He is so cute, surely
he doesn't want to steal".
An example of Two-tailed Dog Party fake political

posters: this poster is captioned "For a smaller Hungary!",
in reference to Hungarian irredentists supporting the
revocation of the Trianon Treaty.
2010 Budapest mayoral elections
In 2010, the party announced their candidacy for mayor of Budapest.[2] Campaign slogans
include "More everything, less nothing!", "Eternal life, free beer, tax-deduction!" and "We
promise anything!"
2014 parliamentary elections
The party was trying to finish the official registration process in order to start its campaign.
The registration was rejected in early 2014. In July 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that there
is no objections against registering the party and the registration process may continue.
Street art
Recently the party has been a strong advocate of freedom of expression and artistic license.
This position is expressed by political slogans on walls and pasting posters in Szeged.
The party's main activity is street art - graffiti, stencils and various posters. These are often
humorous, while providing stark criticism towards various company policies, the state of
79
Hungarian railroads, imitate stickers of entrepreneurial advertisements, sabotage large

billboard signs or provide simple meta-humour. The man behind the party was sued by the
Hungarian State Railways for stickers saying "Our trains are deliberately dirty" or "Our trains
are deliberately late", but he was not convicted. In 2009 he created a parody of the website
Pecs2010.hu – the official site of Pécs as Cultural Capital of Europe in 2010 –, for which he
was threatened with legal action but the owners of the original site backed down after the case
got publicity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Double-tailed_Dog_Party#cite_note-wsj-4
6) Translation / Mediation
6.1 Translate
Translate this extract taken from an English law textbook. You might want to go back to the
section entitled The Right to Vote and see how parts of this text can be translated. When you
are ready, reread the Hungarian text and correct the parts that do not sound real Hungarian.
Every British citizen aged eighteen years or over who is not serving a sentence of
imprisonment and is not a peer is eligible to be placed on the electoral register in a
constituency (Representation of the People Act 1983). Normally this involves residence in the
constituency on a certain day (10 October) but members of the armed forces and now British
citizens who live abroad but have been registered within the previous five years can be
entered on the register (Representation of the People Act 1985). At the moment there are 650
constituencies, the boundaries being drawn by impartial Boundary Commissions whose
recommendations need the approval of both Houses of Parliament (Parliamentary
Constituencies Act 1986).
From Ganz: Understanding Public Law. Sweet and Maxwell, 1994
6.2 Summarise
Summarise the following text so that it could be placed on a website giving information to
foreigners about Hungary. Make your summary half as long as the original by selecting the
most important pieces of information and structures that can typically make a text briefer and
more condensed (e.g. noun phrases or verb phrases instead of clauses). Try to use impersonal
style and make your text neutral by avoiding words and expressions which would qualify or
express your personal opinion.
Include the following issues:

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1. A választási rendszer szabályozása

hazánkban.
2. A választási rendszer néhány újdonsága.
3. A választások ideje.
4. Ki választhat?
5. Ki választható?
6. Az országgyűlési képviselők száma.
7. Választás az egyéni választókerületekben.
8. Választás pártlistáról.
9. Választás nemzetiségi listáról.
10. A parlamenti küszöb.
http://hir.ma/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/image1368452064.jpg
Az országgyűlési választások
Az országgyűlési választási rendszer határozza meg, hogy a képviselők és a pártok milyen

arányban jutnak be az országgyűlésbe. A hazánkban alkalmazott választási rendszer alapjait –
az Alaptörvény és a választási eljárásról szóló normaszöveg mellett - az országgyűlési
képviselők választásáról szóló törvény szabályozza, amelyet a Parlament 2011. december 23-
án fogadott el. Az országgyűlési képviselők választásáról szóló 1989. évi XXXIV. törvény
rendelkezéseit kell alkalmazni az e törvény hatálybalépését követő általános országgyűlési
választások kitűzéséig.
Az Országház:
Mikor tartják az
országgyűlési választásokat?
Magyarországon négyévente
tartanak országgyűlési
választásokat. Az alkotmány
értelmében az országgyűlési
képviselők általános
választását – az Országgyűlés
feloszlása vagy feloszlatása
miatti választás kivételével –
az előző Országgyűlés
megválasztását követő
negyedik év április vagy
május hónapjában kell megtartani.
Ki választhat és kit választhatnak meg?
Az országgyűlési képviselőket a választópolgárok általános és egyenlő választójog alapján,

közvetlen és titkos szavazással, a választók akaratának szabad kifejezését biztosító
81
választáson, sarkalatos törvényben meghatározott módon választják. Az Alaptörvény szerint

minden nagykorú magyar állampolgárnak joga van ahhoz, hogy az országgyűlési képviselők -
a helyi önkormányzati képviselők és polgármesterek, valamint az európai parlamenti
képviselők - választásán választó és választható legyen. A 2011. évi CCIII. törvény kimondja:
az e törvény hatálybalépését követő általános országgyűlési választások kitűzéséig csak annak
van választójoga, aki magyarországi lakóhellyel rendelkezik.
Nem rendelkezik választójoggal az, akit bűncselekmény elkövetése vagy belátási

képességének korlátozottsága miatt a bíróság a választójogból kizárt. Nem választható az
Európai Unió más tagállamának magyarországi lakóhellyel rendelkező állampolgára, ha az
állampolgársága szerinti állam jogszabálya, bírósági vagy hatósági döntése alapján hazájában
kizárták e jog gyakorlásából.
Hány országgyűlési képviselőt választanak meg és hogyan?
Az országgyűlési képviselők számát az országgyűlési képviselők választásáról szóló törvény

százkilencvenkilencben határozza meg. Százhat országgyűlési képviselőt egyéni
választókerületben, kilencvenhárom országgyűlési képviselőt országos listán választanak.
Az országgyűlési képviselők választása egyfordulós.
A magyarországi lakóhellyel rendelkező választópolgár egy egyéni választókerületi jelöltre és

egy pártlistára szavazhat. A magyarországi lakóhellyel rendelkező, névjegyzékben nemzetiségi
választópolgárként szereplő választópolgár egy egyéni választókerületi jelöltre és nemzetiségének listájára,
ennek hiányában egy pártlistára szavazhat. A magyarországi lakóhellyel nem rendelkező választópolgár
egy pártlistára szavazhat.
Az egyfordulós választáson mandátumot az a jelölt szerez, aki a legtöbb érvényesen leadott

szavazatot kapta, függetlenül a megjelentek számától.
Újdonság, hogy az egyéni választókerületben mandátumot nyerő jelölt után is jár majd
töredékszavazat a győztes pártjának, az első és a második helyezett szavazatszáma közötti
különbségnek megfelelő mennyiségű. Ez azt jelenti, hogy ha a győztesre 40 ezren, a második
helyezettre pedig 19.999-en szavaztak az egyéni választókerületben, akkor a mandátumot
szerző politikus után 20 ezer töredékszavazat jár pártjának az országos listán (ebben az
esetben tehát eggyel több, mint a második helyezettnek).
Az Országház folyosója:
A területi listák megszűnnek,

így töredékszavazatok csak az
egyéni választókerületekben
képződhetnek, s azokat
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hozzáadják a pártlistás szavazatainak számához.
Az országos listáról 93 mandátumot osztanak ki, méghozzá a jelenlegihez hasonló módon, az

úgynevezett d'Hondt módszerrel. Ennek lényege, hogy a pártlistára leadott voksokat és a
töredékszavazatokat pártonként egy táblázatban összegzik, majd elosztják kettővel,
hárommal, néggyel stb. Az így kapott számoszlop határozza meg a mandátumok kiosztását:
először az a párt kap képviselői helyet, amelynek oszlopában a legnagyobb szám található,
majd a következő, és így tovább, amíg kiosztható mandátum van.
A jogszabály alapján listát az a párt állíthat, amely - legalább kilenc megyében és Budapesten
- minimum 27 egyéni választókerületben önállóan jelöltet állított. Ehhez
választókerületenként ezer ajánlószelvényt kell gyűjteni.
A nemzetiségeknek kedvezményes mandátumszerzési lehetőségét biztosítottak a

törvényhozók, ha pedig ez nem sikerülne nekik, nemzetiségi szószólót küldhetnek a
parlamentbe. Országos listát nemcsak a pártok, hanem a nemzetiségek is állíthatnak, ehhez
mindössze a névjegyzékben nemzetiségi választópolgárként szereplők egy százalékának
ajánlása szükséges. Nemzetiségenként egy kisebbségi mandátum megszerzésére nyílik
lehetőség úgy, hogy előbb összesítik az 5 százalékos küszöböt elérő pártokra és a nemzetiségi
listákra leadott szavazatokat, és az így kapott összeget elosztják az országos listán
megszerezhető mandátumok számával (93-mal), majd ezt az eredményt néggyel. Így alakul ki
a kedvezményes kvóta, amelynek elérése a mandátumszerzés feltétele.
A parlamenti küszöb öt százalék maradt.
http://www.kormany.hu/hu/mo/a-valasztasi-rendszer/az-orszaggyulesi-valasztasok
List of legal terms
Elections and political parties
accommodate ige befogad
accountable mn felelősségre vonható, számadásra köteles/kötelezhető
additional mn kiegészítő, hozzáadott, további
agreement fn megállapodás
albeit ksz jóllehet, noha, habár
alliance fn (politikai) szövetség
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allocate ige kiutal, kioszt, szétoszt
amount to ige kitesz vmennyit, egyenértékű, egyenlő, felér vmvel
award ige odaítél, megad, megítél
ballot fn (a) titkos szavazás, választás (b) szavazócédula
bottleneck fn (a) útszűkület, torlódás (b) szűk keresztmetszet
fn határ, mezsgye
boundary
fn GB az alsóház által kiküldött bizottság, amely a
• Boundary választókörzetek alakulását vizsgálja és javaslatokat tesz
Commission módosításukra
by-election fn időközi választás
candidate fn jelölt, pályázó
cast a vote ige szavaz
1 fn (a) kihívás (b) ellenvetés, vitatás 2 ige (a) kihív (b)

challenge
kifogást tesz, ellenez
citizen fn állampolgár
clash ige ütközik, ellentmond
constituency fn választókerület
constituent fn választó
constraint fn korlát, korlátozottság, kötöttség
craftsmanship fn mesterségbeli tudás/ügyesség, szakértelem
crucial mn döntő, kritikus (tényző, pillanat)
currently hsz jelenleg, mostanában
defunct mn megszűnt, egykori
demonstration fn (a) bebizonyítás (b) szemléltetés (c) tüntetés
discourse fn beszéd, eszmecsere
disproportional mn aránytalan
dissolve ige (a) feloldódik, felolvad (b) feloszlik, feloszlat
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distribute ige kioszt, szétoszt, eloszt
doomed mn kudarcra/halálra ítélt
elect ige (meg)választ
fn választás
election
fn időközi választás
• by-election
• general elections fn általános választások
electorate fn (a) választók, szavazók összessége (b) választókerület
eligible mn választható
engage ige foglalkoztat, alkalmaz
gender fn nem, szex
general election fn általános választás
hurdle fn akadály, gát
launch 1 fn elindítás 2 ige elindít
left-wing 1 fn baloldal 2 mn baloldali
line fn vonal, irányvonal
ige összhangban lenni vmivel, megfelelni vmnek

• be in line with
merger fn egybeolvadás, egyesülés
moderate mn mérsékelt, mértéktartó
motion fn indítvány, javaslat
movement fn (a) mozgalom (b) mozgás
participate ige részt vesz, közreműködik
participation fn részvétel, közreműködés
party fn (a) (politikai) párt (b) ügyfél, fél
plurality fn (a) többszörösség, sokaság (b) szavazattöbbség
poll 1 fn (a) szavazás (b) (köz)véleménykutatás 2 ige szavaz
polling station fn szavazóhelyiség
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promote ige (a)előmozdít, elősegít, támogat, pártol (b) előléptet
proportional mn arányos
ram through ige keresztül erőszakol
rank 1 fn rang, osztály, rend 2 ige rangsorol, beoszt, osztályoz
recommend ige ajánl
recommendation fn ajánlás
referendum fn népszavazás
1 fn jegyzék, hivatalos lista, nyilvántartás 2 ige jegyzékbe,

register
nyilvántartásba vesz
represent ige képvisel
representative 1 fn képviselő 2 mn képviseleti
Returning Officer fn GB választási megbízott
right-wing 1 fn jobboldal 2 mn jobboldali
run ige (a) működtet (b) hatályban van
ige (hivatalért, tisztségért) jelölteti magát

• run for (an office)
seat fn képviselői hely, mandátum
staggering mn megdöbbentő, meghökkentő
stringent mn (a) szigorú, kemény (b)szoros
suffrage fn választójog
supplementary mn kiegészítő
support 1 fn támogatás 2 ige támogat
threshold fn küszöb
transferable mn (a) átvihető (b) átruházható
vacant mn üres, szabad, megüresedett
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UNIT 5 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
1) Local government systems
1.1 What is local government?
No modern country can be governed from a single location only. The affairs of municipalities
and rural areas must be left to the administration of local governments. Accordingly, all
countries have at least two levels of government: central and local. A number of countries
also contain a third level of government, which is responsible for the interests of more or less
large regions.
The definition of local government, as is the case with all other definitions, depends on who
the intended audience of your explanation is.
Read these three descriptions and compare the way how they treat the same topic.
Official government publication
Local government is one way in which the country’s governance and administration is carried
out, and its public services delivered. Two features distinguish local government from other
local service providers – most local authorities are elected and most have the ability to raise
taxes locally.
Local authorities are statutory bodies created by Acts of Parliament. They are not accountable
to Parliament as they are directly elected by their local communities. Local authorities, their
members and the administrative units supporting them have a number of objectives, amongst
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which are delivering national objectives locally and using national and local resources to meet
the diverse requirements of different neighbourhoods and communities.
The style and constitutional arrangements under which local government operates have
changed and are still changing. Traditionally local government was about the delivery of a
range of services. Over time, more and more of these services have been delivered by outside
agencies and the role of local government has changed as a result. In 2000, the current
government redefined the core purpose of local government as community leadership.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/316772/LGFS24_web_edition.pdf
Act of Parliament
Local Government Act 2000 (2000 c.22)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/22/contents
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Fundamental Law of
Hungary
http://www.parlament.hu/documents/125505/138409/Fundamental+law/73811993-c377-428d-9808-ee03d6fb8178
1.2 Local governments and Europe
Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
European section of United Cities and Local Governments
Introducing CEMR
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is the oldest and broadest
European association of local and regional government. We are the only organisation that
brings together the national associations of local and regional authorities from 41 European
countries and represents, through them, all levels of territories – local, intermediate and
regional.
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Since its creation in 1951, CEMR promotes the construction of a united, peaceful and
democratic Europe founded on local self-government, respect for the principle of subsidiarity
and the participation of citizens. Our work is organised around two main pillars:
1. Influencing European policy and legislation in all areas having an impact on municipalities
and regions;
2. Providing a forum for debate between local and regional authorities via their national
representative associations.
Governance and citizenship
Introduction
As the closest level of governance to citizens, municipalities and regions are the best placed to
tackle the major issues facing our citizens and to ensure peoples’ participation in all levels of
democratic life (EU, national, regional and local public life). Since its creation, CEMR has
worked to build a Europe based on principles of democracy and local autonomy.
In order to contribute to the development of a local and regional Europe, CEMR supports the
implementation of a new model of governance and partnership. This new model sees that the
decision-making process is founded on the coordination of responsibilities between all levels
of power – local, regional, national and European – as well as between citizens, businesses
and civil society.
http://www.ccre.org/en/activites/view/8
1.2.1 Video
CEMR and its member associations produced a video which is addressed to the European
institutions and proposes a way forward calling for closer collaboration among all elected
representatives - local, national and European - to ensure that EU policies meet the needs of
the citizens.
Watch the video (http://www.ccre.org/en/activites/view/35#) and take notes about the problems
referred to and the solutions proposed.
Problems Solutions
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1.3 Sub-national governments across Europe
CEMR organised a conference on changes of local and regional structures in Copenhagen in

2008.
Read the extracts from the conference publication and do the attached exercises.
Some facts about the current situation of local and regional governments across Europe
from a paper prepared by Helen Hermenier, Dexia
The current territorial organisation of the 27 EU Member States is very diverse, both at the
State and at the sub-national level. At the State level, the 27 Member States can be broken
down into three main categories: three countries are federal States (Austria, Belgium and
Germany), two are “regionalised” States with a quasi-federal structure (Italy and Spain), the
remaining are unitary States, although some have an asymmetric organisation (Portugal,
United Kingdom, etc.).
At the sub-national level, there were 92,506 local, regional and federated authorities in the EU
in 2007. These sub-national governments are organised into one, two or three tiers depending
on the country:
• Eight countries have only one local government level, that of municipalities, the base
unit which manages the lion’s share of their community public services. These
countries tend to be small in geographical and/or demographic terms. They represent
in total only 4% of the European population.
• Twelve countries have two sub-national government levels: municipalities and the
“regional” level. These medium-sized countries represent 23% of the EU population.
• The remaining seven countries, which are generally also the largest, have a three-level
system: the municipalities, the intermediary tier and the “regional” level. They account
for almost three-quarters of the European population.
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In all, the 92,506 sub-national governments can be broken down into:
• 91,252 municipalities,
• 935 intermediary level sub-national governments,
• 319 regional or federated level sub-national governments.
The municipal level is very diverse, both in terms of localisation, size, organisation and
resources. Despite the diversity of the municipal level, some general trends are visible at
European level as municipalities share common preoccupations. One of their main
preoccupations is the quest for the “perfect size” which would ensure both local democracy
and economic efficiency in the delivery of local public services. Different solutions are put in
place in order to reach this goal.
Municipal merger policies are the favoured solution to the quest for the “perfect size”.
Municipal merger policies have been implemented in many European countries, one of the
objectives being to compensate for the economic disadvantages linked to the small size of
many of the municipalities concerned (insufficient financial resources to carry out their
responsibilities correctly, limited tax base, etc.).
In a few countries, the quest for the “perfect size” takes the opposite path. The Communist era
in Central and Eastern European countries saw a decrease in the number of municipalities
during the 1960s and 1970s, as they were absorbed into larger units as part of the central
State’s rationalisation, planning and territorial control. The democratic transition that began in
the 1990s led countries such as Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Romania to a splintering of
municipal groupings and, in many cases, to the re-establishment of historical municipalities,
seen as both the vectors of local democracy and the territorial entities best suited to manage
community services. In the Czech Republic, for example, more than 2,150 municipalities
have been restored since 1989, representing a third of the current total.
Inter-municipal cooperation is another popular option in the attempt to attain the perfect size.
It allows municipalities to pool their resources in order to improve the management of local
public services and to attain a sufficient size to carry out certain responsibilities (i.e.
sewerage, water, transportation), while at the same time keeping their own municipal
structure. The forms of inter-municipal cooperations vary greatly from highly integrated, as is
the case in Spain, Italy and Portugal, to very specific structures such as syndicates.
In several countries, especially those with large municipalities (such as Portugal, the United
Kingdom, Bulgaria and Lithuania), an infra-municipal level exists in the form of localities
(quarters, city districts, parishes, villages, etc.). These historical sub-divisions are an
alternative to the splintering of municipalities. They enable the reinforcement of local
democracy and the delivery of community services. In some cases, these municipal sub-
divisions are legal entities. They can have elected or appointed representatives, as well as
their own responsibilities and budget.
http://www.ccre.org/docs/changes_in_local_and_regional_structures_web_EN.pdf
Make the chart complete by supplying information provided in the text.
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1.4 The development of a local government system
Read the text below on the development of the UK Local Government system, and then do the
attached exercises.
Some elements of the English local government structure can be traced back to arrangements
in place before the Norman Conquest. Modern local government in England was essentially
created in the 1880s. In the late 1960s a plan was drawn up for a pattern of single tier councils
throughout the country but the incoming Conservative government replaced that proposal
with the implementation of a two tier structure of county and district arrangements in 1974.
As a result of this complete re-organisation and further partial re-organisations in 1986, the
1990s and 2009, the set-up of the English local government is organisationally complex and
extremely confusing even to those who live there.
Changes in English local authority functions and structure
Before the nineteenth century, local government provided few nationwide services: the poor
law and highway maintenance (administered mainly by parishes) and the local courts and
prisons (administered mainly by county quarter sessions) were the main ones. Other local
services were provided as a result of local initiative, based mainly on local Acts of Parliament.
In the nineteenth century, there was a gradual development of systematic, nationwide

provision of local government services. Some of these were the result of initiatives by central
government (such as most of the public health services) whilst others were developed by local
initiatives (such as the municipal gas and electricity undertakings). Some were the result of
the work of non-governmental organisations, later taken over by local government bodies
(such as primary education).
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As the nineteenth century progressed, the tendency to create new specialised agencies for
each new service was replaced by a tendency to concentrate services, especially after the
creation of county councils in 1888 and county district councils in 1894. At the same time,
central government recognised increasingly the need to ensure uniform national standards and
created the methods to do so, by guidance, conditional grants, inspectorate appeals systems
and default powers.
The introduction of more and more local services was counterbalanced by the transfer of
some services to central government (for example, prisons (1872), trunk roads (1930), gas and
electricity (1947) and hospitals (1948)). In 1929, the abolition of the Boards of Guardians
consolidated local government services in the hands of, in large towns, county borough
councils and, in London and the metropolitan counties, the London County Council and
metropolitan boroughs. Outside these areas the abolition of the Boards of Guardians
consolidated local government services for county councils to county district councils and (in
rural districts) parish councils and meetings. This structure endured until, in Greater London,
the reform of 1965 (when the Greater London Council was formed) and elsewhere the
reforms of 1974.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/316772/LGFS2
4_web_edition.pdf
1.4.1 Matching
Words do not stand alone but form 'partnerships' when used for expressing our thoughts.
These two exercises help you to acquire typical word combinations. All of them are taken
from the text above.
adjectives nouns
1 nationwide A initiatives
2 gradual B agencies
3 local C standards
4 specialised D services
5 national E development
verbs nouns
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1 form A courts
2 draw up B services
3 provide C a tendency
4 create D a plan
5 recognise E highways
6 administer F a council
7 maintain G agencies
8 replace H a need
1.4.2 Prepositions
Another problematic area is to learn when to use which preposition. This task below
highlights some phrases containing prepositions. They are also taken from the text above.
When you have completed the task, try to retell the information on the early development of
the English local government system using these expressions.
1) a plan ________ sth

2) as a result ________ of sth
3) the set-up ________ sth
4) be ________ place
5) be based ________ sth
6) replace sth ________ sth
7) take ________ sth
8) transfer sth ________ sb
1.5 Further development of the UK Local Government system
Read the text below and then do the attached exercises.
What is the structure of UK Local Government?

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Up until the creation of the first new Unitary Authority (Isle of Wight in 1995) there were two
models of service provision:
• A) Outside the major urban areas, services were provided by two tiers of councils in
England:
COUNTY COUNCILS each covering a population in a rough range 500,000 - 1,500,000;
and
DISTRICT COUNCILS, between 4-14 within each County Council area, each covering a
population about 100,000.
Local District functions were divided between the two

tiers as follows:
County District
Divided
Councils Councils
Education Local planning Recreation
Social services Housing Cultural
Transport Local matters
Strategic highways
planning Building
Fire services regulation
Consumer Environmental
protection health
Refuse disposal Refuse
Smallholdings collection
Libraries
• B) In the major urban areas: London, West Midlands (around Birmingham), Greater
Manchester, Merseyside (around Liverpool), South Yorkshire (around Sheffield),
West Yorkshire (around Leeds) and Tyne & Wear (around Newcastle-upon-Tyne), as
a result of the partial reorganisation in 1986 there was (and still is) a single tier of
councils responsible for all the services listed above. These are called LONDON
BOROUGH COUNCILS in London and METROPOLITAN DISTRICT
COUNCILS in the other areas. In order to avoid total chaos, some functions - Fire,
Police, Public Transport - are exercised through Joint Boards to which all the Local
Authorities in an area appoint members.
In the 1990s the Central Government's view was that the two tier model of service provision
was inefficient and confusing, and that County Councils were too remote from those they
served; and therefore that County Councils should be abolished and their functions transferred
to District Councils, with some of the smaller Districts being merged.
In Scotland and Wales this is exactly what was done. In England there was a process of local
consultation which led to the single tier model being supported, and implemented, in some
places and rejected in rather more.
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Where single-tier councils have been implemented, they are called UNITARY
AUTHORITIES. In the cases of Avon, Berkshire, Cleveland and Humberside all the
Districts became Unitaries (with some mergers) and the County Councils were abolished. As
in the Metropolitan Areas, some functions are now exercised by joint boards appointed by
County Councils and the Unitaries which were formerly within their jurisdiction.
A second round of Unitaries was implemented in 2009, but the rationale had by then shifted
to "clear leadership and improved efficiency" and county-sized unitaries were the new
favoured solution (remoteness no longer being an obstacle, it seems). As a result, 5 of the new
unitaries covered entire former two-tier counties, and the remaining 4 half-counties, with the
district councils in these areas being abolished.
At the conclusion of this re-organisation the total count of Principal Authorities stands as
follows:
Two tier structure

County Councils 27
District Councils 201
All-Purpose Authorities
English Unitary Authorities 55
Metropolitan Districts 36
London Boroughs 32
Scottish Unitary Authorities 32 179
Welsh Unitary Authorities 22
City of London 1
Isles of Scilly 1
England Wales & Scotland Total 407
Northern Ireland District Councils 26
Grand Total 433
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https://www.gov.u
k/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7448/1622442.pdf
PARISH and TOWN COUNCILS in England cover areas smaller than Districts (up to
30,000 population but usually much less). They have very limited responsibilities for local
services and environmental improvements, and do not exist in large towns and cities. There is
no difference in powers between PARISH and TOWN councils - the distinction is just that
TOWN councils cover areas which are generally more urban than PARISH ones.
COMMUNITY COUNCILS in Wales are similar bodies; those in Scotland have no
statutory functions. Very small parishes may not have an elected council, in which case
decisions are taken by open PARISH MEETINGS. At the last count there were 10466
parishes in England, 867 communities in Wales and about 1200 in Scotland.
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CITY and BOROUGH are titles of honour which do not affect the functions of a local
authority. The titles may be conferred by a Royal Charter, which is generally done for a very
large and important town (note, though, that this has been going on for about 700 years and
towns which were important then may not be so important now) but in some cases the term
City seems to be traditional usage whose origin is lost in the mists of time. In particular it is
generally used of any town containing a Cathedral. The
various reorganisations have led in some cases to the title of City being applied to a Town
Council (which can be thoroughly confusing where it has the same name as a District which
covers a larger area!) but more often it is applied to a District. The title of Borough is only
applied to Districts.
In Wales the terms County Council or County Borough Council are titles of honour referring
to the status which areas had before the 1973 re-organisations. They are all actually Unitary
Authorities.
COUNCILLORS represent geographical WARDS (called ELECTORAL DIVISIONS in

County and county-sized Unitary Councils) and serve for four years before needing to seek
re-election. A ward may be represented by 1, 2 or 3 councillors. County Councils, London
Boroughs, and Scottish and Welsh Unitaries elect all their councillors at once, every 4 years;
Metropolitan Districts elect one-third of their councillors in each of the 3 years out of 4 which
are not County Election years; English Unitaries and second-tier Districts were given the
choice of the two methods: 18 out of the 55 Unitaries and 88 of the 201 Districts elect by
thirds.
ELECTIONS - in England and Wales are always held by the plurality ("first-past-the-post")
method even when 3 (or even more in Wales) councillors for a ward are being elected at once.
Elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland are conducted by the Single Transferable Vote.
About 88% of councillors (excluding those in Northern Ireland) stood on behalf of one of the
three main British Parties; most of the rest profess to be "Independent".
Until recently, most council decisions were taken by COMMITTEES appointed from within
the Council, with only the most important decisions being taken by the entire Council. There
are rules to ensure that the political composition of the committees reflects that of the whole
Council. The Local Government Act 2000 has changed this, in all but the smallest districts, to
a system where decisions are taken by one of a few CABINET or EXECUTIVE
COUNCILLORS with the committees reduced to an advisory or SCRUTINY role.
This is accompanied in a few cases by a change in the role of MAYOR. In the past, the
MAYOR of a Borough or City (or LORD MAYOR in the largest cities) has been appointed
by the council from among its own members and combined the role of Chair of Council
Meetings with a ceremonial role as "First Citizen". There is now provision for councils to
have a directly ELECTED MAYOR responsible for most decisions in association with a
small CABINET of Councillors: however only 11 councils have such a mayor.
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http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/uklocalgov/structure.htm
1.5.1 Contrasting ideas
Work in pairs.
Choose one pair / group of terms (a - f) and explain the difference between them. Take turns
in doing so.
The following patterns can help you:
• While strategic planning is the responsibility of county councils, local planning is the
responsibility of district councils.
• Unlike refuse disposal, which is the task of county councils, refuse collection is the
task of district councils.
• Libraries are to be maintained by county councils, whereas the maintenance of
recreational facilities is a divided responsibility.
• Contrary to consumer protection, which falls under the competence of county
councils, environmental health is in the hands of district councils.
• Social services are to be provided by county councils, in contrast, cultural matters are
a shared responsibility.
a) cabinet, committee, council
b) councillor, mayor, lord mayor
c) parish council, town council, community council
d) county council, district council, unitary authority
e) parish council, parish meeting
f) scrutiny role, advisory role, executive role
1.5.2 Research – preparing for a task to perform later
Do a bit of research and collect data about the development of the Hungarian local
government system. You may choose to focus on one particular era instead.
You will be asked to give a presentation to the rest of the group on your chosen topic in the
section about local governments in Hungary.
2) Local governments in Hungary
The system of local governments in Hungary

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Hungary
Hungary is a unitary state composed of municipalities (települések), cities (városok),

cities with county rank (megyei jogú városok), capital city districts (fővárosi kerületek) and
counties (megyék).
Local level: 3 175 municipalities (települések), cities (városok), cities with county rank
(megyei jogú városok), capital city districts (fővárosi kerületek) and the City of Budapest
Intermediary level: 19 counties (megyék)
http://www.ccre.org/en/pays/view/19
Note
Under Article F (2) of the Fundamental Law “The territory of Hungary shall consist of the
capital, counties, cities and towns, as well as villages. The capital, as well as the cities and
towns may be divided into districts.”
2.1 Gap-fill: Detailed information
You can get more detailed information if you do these two gap-fill exercises:
Local level
The body of representatives (képviselő-testület) is the municipality's _______________

body. It is composed of members _______________ by direct universal _______________
for four years and is responsible for the management and control of the municipality. Its
decisions are presented in the form of resolutions and _______________.
The mayor (polgármester) is the municipality’s _______________ body and

_______________ over the body of representatives. He/she is a member of the body of
representatives and is elected by direct universal _______________ for a four-year term. On
the mayor's proposal, the body of representatives may elect _______________ mayors from
within its ranks, via secret _______________. Municipalities of more than 3 000
_______________ have a full-time mayor, while in municipalities of less than 3 000
inhabitants, the body of representatives can determine whether the mayor _______________ a
part-time or full-time position.
The notary (jegyző) is _______________ by the body of representatives, usually for an

undetermined _______________ of time. He/she is at the head of the local
_______________. The notary prepares and supports the work of the body of representatives
and mayor, and _______________ their decisions.
_______________
. Local development
. Urban planning
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. Protection of the environment
. Housing
. Public transport
. Social services
. Primary schools
. Maintenance of roads, public areas, cemeteries and sewage
. Water resources
. Fire services
. Culture
Note
The capital city of Budapest is _______________ of two levels: the city's local government
and 23 districts. These two levels are managed by _______________ local entities, which
have the status of a municipality.
A municipality can become a city at the _______________ of its body of representatives,

depending on its level of development and its impact at the _______________ level.
Cities with more than 50 000 inhabitants can gain the rank of a county. However, this process
is quite rare in Hungary, as the last municipality to have gained county rank was Érd in 1994.
Intermediary level
The county council (megyei közgyűlés) is the county's _______________ body. It is

composed of members elected by direct universal suffrage for a four-year _______________.
The county council provides the public _______________ that municipalities are
_______________ to provide. However, on the basis of the principle of _______________,
county authorities cannot take over the competences that municipalities wish to handle
themselves.
The county chair (közgyűlés elnöke) is elected for a four-year _______________ by and from
_______________ the county council. He/she is the county's _______________ branch and
represents the county council.
Competences
. Secondary schools
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. Cultural infrastructures (libraries, museums, etc.)
. Maintenance of retirement homes and hospitals
. Land development
. Tourism
Note
There is no hierarchy between local and county authorities as they have _______________
rights in the eyes of the national _______________.
The Hungarian Constitution and Local Government Act are currently under
_______________. Thus, a new local government structure will be _______________
between 2012 and 2014. The revised Constitution and Act will lean more towards the
_______________ of certain local competences, such as primary education, due to current
budget restrictions in Hungary
http://www.ccre.org/en/pays/view/19
2.2 Updating the information content of a text
You may have noticed that the information on the above website is not up-to date.
Do a bit of research and highlight recent changes in the system of local governments in our
country.
Now work in groups of three or four. Choose the text of one of the two gap-fill exercises and
update it. Then read out the improved text to the whole group.
(You can read the official communication summary of the new cardinal Act on Local
Government here)
Communication Summary
The cardinal Act on Local Government
21 December 2011
Technical information
Bill drafted by: The Ministry of Internal Affairs
Date submitted to Parliament: 5 November 2011
Date of final vote: 19 December 2011
Date of Act’s publication: –
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Content
Main messages
In the current system of local government, factors such as inbuilt failures and state financing
not co-ordinated with local government tasks have been contributing factors in local
governments – and therefore the entire country – becoming deeply mired in debt. The goal is
creation of a modern, cost-effective, task-oriented system of local government, which
provides the opportunity for democratic and more efficient operation.
¬ The new Act will provide statutory supervision and monitoring of the operation of the local
government system. This is vital for:
• citizens’ legal security;
• the functioning of local democracy;
• people’s right to appeal to a higher authority in the event of a badly-functioning local

government.
One of the Act’s main pillars is the preservation of local voters’ rights to independent local
governance.
¬ Among other things, the new Act seeks to halt the process of indebtedness of settlements
(and hence of the country), through:
• the renewal of financing;
• new regulations on debt management and debt initiation procedures;
• new regulations on conflict of interests.
Therefore reduction of debt is a very important pillar of the legislation.
¬ The goal of the legislation is to create a local government system, based on the European
Charter of Local Self-Government, which is modern, cost-effective, task-oriented, and
provides the possibility for democratic and more effective operation.
The new Act on Local Government
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Following a six-month public and professional consultation period, Parliament adopted the
new cardinal Act on Local Government. Restructuring of local government is a major
initiative of the government programme and the Széll Kálmán Plan (launched to cut state
debt); the initiative is also vital for the viability of settlements.
In the current system of local government, local governments (and therefore the country as a
whole) have become severely indebted due to factors including:
• inbuilt failures;
• state financing not co-ordinated with local government tasks.
Over the past twenty years problemshave manifested themselves for local governments:
• their room for manoeuvre has shrunk;
• provision of local services has demanded ever greater effort;
• financing has become ever more difficult.
The new legislation on local government aims to bring a halt to this by:
• financial restructuring;
• new regulations on debt management;
• new regulations on debt initiation procedures;
• new regulations on conflict of interest.
The goal of the legislation is to create a local government system which:
• is modern;
• is cost-effective;
• is task-oriented;
• provides the possibility for democratic and more efficient operation.
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The new legislation is based on:
• the European Charter of Local Self-Government;
• Hungarian local government traditions.
One of the main pillars of the new legislation is the principle of preserving local voters’ rights
to independent local governance: every settlement will continue to have an elected council
and mayor. In settlements with fewer than two thousand inhabitants, however, there will be no
independent council office administration.
A system that is cost-effective and task-oriented
The new cardinal Act defines the types of local government tasks and the principles of their
management. Of these there are two basic types:
• mandatory;
• voluntary.
The following will continue to be mandatory tasks:
• the maintenance of public order;
• public water supplies;
• waste water disposal;
• waste management;
• district heating;
• provision for the homeless.
Local governments may continue to undertake voluntary tasks, but these must not
compromise the execution of mandatory tasks. Financing of voluntary optional tasks shall be
covered by the local government’s income, or allocated resources.
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Each local government shall take account of its own special local conditions (e.g. population
and economic capacity), when determining the range of mandatory tasks. On 1 January 2013
a new task-financing system will come into effect. This will ensure the stable functioning of
local governments and avoid a lack of liquidity.
A new provision is that public education institutions and hospitals will be maintained by the
State.
Regulations on conflict of interest
Regulations on conflict of interest will be tightened, e.g. after the 2014 elections it will not be
possible for someone to serve as both a mayor and a Member of Parliament.
Rules on conflict of interest will extend to members of local government committees who are
not council members.
The Act details the requirements for declarations of assets; these will extend to spouses,
partners and offspring.
A new chapter deals with inappropriate conduct.
Stricter rules on the initiation of debt
The system for initiating debt or issuing bonds will be stricter in the future.
Detailed regulation of this will appear in the cardinal Act on Stability.
Mayors, local councils
The post of mayor shall either be a full-time salaried position, or subject to payment of an
honorarium.
The mayor shall be both a member and the leader of the council.
The mayor may exercise the right of veto:
• if he or she considers a council decision harmful to the local council’sinterests;
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• following which the mayor may convene the council one more time on the same topic, to be
decided by a qualified majority vote;
• if a council is unable to decide on an issue after having voted on it on two separate

occasions, the mayor shall make an independent ruling.
The new Act stipulates those local government related issues which may not be decided by
the mayor alone.
Settlements with more than 2,000 inhabitants shall establish a financial committee for
budgetary supervision.
New administrative office structure
The structure of local government administration will also change.
In settlements with fewer than two thousand inhabitants there will be no independent council
office administration: this measure affects 400 local councils. This does not mean that in
small communities there will be no local administration, as there will be merged council
offices shared by more than one settlement. In the future every settlement will continue to
have an elected council and mayor.
According to the new Act, two or more settlements may voluntarily form a joint council,
which may also decide on issues affecting the settlements, including budgetary issues. This
will give the opportunity for more integrated, economical and professional public services.
Individual councils shall decide on issues which only affect their settlements.
The capital
According to the new Act:
• the two-level system of local government will remain: at city-wide and district levels;
• the City Assembly will have more effective powers to ensure the city’s more economical
and efficient operation ;
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• the division of tasks and authority between the City and districts will be more clearly
defined;
• Several tasks and shall be transferred from the current level: e.g. provision for the homeless
shall be the responsibility of districts, and not the City.
County councils
The State will take over maintenance of institutions currently maintained by county councils.
County councils will be responsible for development and spatial planning.
2.3 Regions, counties and statistical small regions in Hungary
http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop425/0050_03_politika_1/images/palne1.jpg
109
2.3.1 Crossword
Do this crossword puzzle.
All the words in it are connected to the topic of local governments.
Across: 7. person living in a place
1. town, city or district with its own local 9. group of houses and buildings where
government people live
4. required by law, compulsory 11. careful in the spending of money, not

wasteful
6. acting, done or given willingly
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12. giving enough profit, benefit, etc. 3. state of being sound and workable or
compared to money spent feasable
14. administrative division of a country 5. action taken to resolve a difficulty
15. person, group or organisation having 8. coming together of a group of people for
the power to give orders or take action a specific purpose
16. division of a city, etc. that elects and is 10. member of a council
represented by a councillor in local
government 12. group of people elected to manage
affairs in a city, county, etc.
17. object of one's efforts
13. head of the council of a city or borough
18. having no home
15. have an influence on (sb or sth),
produce an effect on
Down:
2. state of owing money to sb
2.3.2 Pair work: Presentation
Give a two- or three-minute-long mini presentation to your partner about the development of
the system of local governments in Hungary or about one period of this development.
Use the information you were asked to collect at the end of the previous section (Local
Government Systems - The development of a local government system 1.5.2 Research –
preparing for a task to perform later).
2.4 Writing
Ön (Kiss István/Ilona) Hercegvár Városi Polgármesteri Hivatalának osztályvezetője. A

polgármestertől azt a feladatot kapta, hogy a város jubileumi ünnepségére hívja meg európai
uniós testvérvárosaik polgármestereit. (Saját címe: Hercegvár Városi Polgármesteri Hivatal,
6634 Hercegvár, Fő tér 1-3; Címzett: Dr. Rudolf Bauer polgármester, Cím: Municipality of
Kosice, Nám. Maratónu mieru 1, Kosice 04001, Slovakia).
Írjon 100-150 szavas meghívó levelet, melyben térjen ki az alábbi szempontokra:
• közölje a meghívás okát (a városi cím elnyerésének 100. évfordulója);

111
• tudassa, hogy mikor és hol lesz a rendezvény (2015. március 29-30, Városháza
Díszterem);
• írja le, hogy milyen programokat (testvérvárosok szimpóziuma, fotókiállítás megnyitó,
látogatás egy helyi kisvállalkozásnál, folklór műsor, fogadás) terveznek;
• ajánlja fel a meghívottaknak, hogy tartsanak beszédet;
• ismertesse, hogy kik lesznek a rendezvény vendégei (testvérvárosok polgármesterei
különböző uniós tagállamokból);
• ajánlja fel segítségét szállás foglalásához.
3) Managing local affairs
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2012/jun/13/local-tv-higher-education
3.1 Good governance at local level
The Council of Europe has recently published its 12 principles of good democratic
governance at local level. These form one of the three pillars of "The Strategy
for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level", launched during the
Ministerial Conference in Valencia, Spain, by European Ministers responsible
for Local and Regional Government. Currently Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Ukraine
are working on the Strategy.
What do you think the principles of good democratic governance at local level are?
Do this task to get the complete list.
1) Fair elections, citizen par_______________.

2) Citizen exp_______________ are met.
3) Efficiency and eff_______________.
4) Tra_______________.
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5) The law and jud_______________ decisions are res_______________.

6) Eth_______________ conduct.
7) Skills and capacity are continually imp_______________.
8) Ope_______________ to change and innovation.
9) Development is sus_______________.
10) Sound fin_______________ management.
11) Res_______________ for human rights and cultural div_______________.
12) Acc_______________.
3.2 What does local government do?
Councils work with local partners and

residents to determine and deliver on
local priorities. They provide a wide
range of services, either directly
through their employees or by
commissioning services from outside
organisations. They largely work
within the powers laid down under
Acts of Parliament but, since the
Local Government Act 2000, they
also have responsibility for the
economic, social and environmental
’wellbeing’ of their area. Most
council services are mandatory.
This means that the council must do them because they are under a duty to do so by law (e.g.
to operate an alcohol licensing regime under the Licensing Act 2003). Some mandatory
functions are tightly controlled by central government, resulting in a similar level of service
across the country (e.g. the administration of housing benefit). Other mandatory requirements
(e.g. the library function) leave councils with some discretion over the level and type of
service they provide.
http://media.economist.com/images/20090411/D1509BR1.jpg
Some council services and functions are discretionary. These are services a council can
choose to provide but does not have to. They are varied, ranging from large economic
regeneration projects at one end of the scale, to the removal of wasp nests at the other. The
Local Government Act 2003 introduced a general power to charge for discretionary services
provided they are not prohibited by other legislation and the council does not make a profit.
Councils were already allowed to charge for some discretionary services, including arts and
entertainment activities, sport and recreational facilities and some pest control services, under
earlier Acts of Parliament.
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Councils provide over 700 services.

http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=2cb6b1c0-0bf0-48f2-a677-
9592c1533c5d&groupId=10180
3.2.1 Local government services
What are the most important services provided by local governments? The task below
contains a number of them classified under certain headings.
Complete the task in pairs and guess what actual services belong there.
1) Children’s services
2) Highway, roads and transport
3) Adult services
4) Housing
5) Cultural services
6) Environmental services
7) Planning and development
8) Protective services
9) Central and other services
3.2.2 Local government services in England and in Hungary
How do the services provided by English local governments compare to the services provided
in Hungary?
If you are not quite sure, you might want to study the relevant sections of the Hungarian Local
Government Act. (http://net.jogtar.hu/jr/gen/hjegy_doc.cgi?docid=A1100189.TV)
3.3 Finances
How local government works financially in England
Read this short paragraph on how local governments work financially and do the attached
exercise.
Local authority spending can be divided into revenue expenditure and capital expenditure.
On the whole, revenue expenditure is financed through a balance of central government grant
including redistributed non-domestic rates and the locally raised council tax. Capital
expenditure is principally financed through central government grants, borrowing and capital
receipts.
Local authorities are required by law:
• to secure the necessary funds to finance their operations
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• to provide an accurate account of where the money goes

• to provide accounts which balance
Only some of the local authorities may collect money

directly through council tax. Those which can are
called billing authorities. Others receive funds
indirectly, either by precepting on a billing authority
or by other channels.
Glossary
Billing authority – a local authority empowered to

set and collect council tax, and manage the Collection
Fund, on behalf of itself and local authorities in its
area. In England, shire and metropolitan districts, the
Council of the Isles of Scilly, unitary authorities,
London Boroughs and the City of London are billing
authorities.
Capital expenditure – expenditure on the acquisition

or creation of fixed assets or expenditure, which adds to and does not merely maintain the
value of existing fixed assets.
Capital receipts – income from the sale of capital assets. Such income may only be used for
purposes authorised by regulations under the Local Government Act 2003, for example to
repay loan debt and to finance new capital expenditure.
Collection fund – the fund administered by a billing authority into which council taxes are
paid, and from which payments are made to the general fund of billing and major
precepting authorities. National Non-domestic Rates collected by a billing authority are
also paid into the fund before being passed on to central government for distribution to local
authorities.
Community charge – the local domestic charge that was in operation between 1 April 1990
and 31 March 1993. Also known as the ‘poll tax’.
Council tax – a local charge (or charges) set by the billing authority in order to collect
sufficient revenue to meet their demand on the collection fund and the precepts issued by the
precepting authorities. It replaced the community charge on 1 April 1993 and is based on the
value of the property and the number of residents. The Valuation Office Agency assesses the
properties in each district area and assigns each property to one of eight valuation bands; A to
H. The tax is set on the basis of the number of Band D equivalent properties. Tax levels for
dwellings in other bands are set relative to the Band D baseline.
115
National Non-domestic Rates – are a means by which local businesses contribute to the cost
of local authority services. They are also known as business rates. On 1 April 1990 the rating
of non-domestic (mainly commercial and industrial) properties was substantially reformed.
Before 1990-91, rate poundages were set individually by local authorities and varied from
authority to authority. Since 1 April 1990, a single national poundage has been set by the
Government.
Precept – the amount of money (council tax) that a local or major precepting authority has
instructed the billing authority to collect and pay over to it in order to finance its net
expenditure.
Revenue expenditure – in a general sense, expenditure on recurring items, including the

running of services and capital financing.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/316772/LGFS24_web_e
dition.pdf
3.3.1 Sources of local government spending
What sources can local government spending be financed from?
Put a tick into the relevant box of the chart. One example is given.
Financing source Type of spending

revenue expenditure capital expenditure
central government grant
capital receipts
council tax
business rates
borrowing
3.3.2 Vocabulary work
The two matching exercises below contain the explanation of some basic 'financial' words
taken from the text above.
Nouns Explanations
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1 account A income
2 acquisition B an amount of money which people or organisations have to

pay to the government to pay for its expenses
3 capital C report
4 charge D a thing given for a particular purpose, especially money from

the government
5 expenditure E an amount of money which has been set aside for a special
purpose
6 fund F an amount of money asked for services
7 grant G the amount of money available for investment or

accumulated material wealth
8 rates H money received by a business
9 receipts I (UK) local taxes paid on both private and commercial

property
10 revenue J action of buying
11 tax K the spending of money
Verbs Explanations
1 bill A give something out in a different way
2 collect B order, prescribe usually the performance of some technical

operation e.g. setting or collecting tax on behalf of the
issuing authority
3 finance C provide money for something
4 precept D obtain (money, contributions etc.) from a number of people
117
or places
5 redistribute E to send (someone) a statement of the amount that has to be

paid
Now go through the text again and find the words of these exercises in their contexts. Give
their Hungarian equivalent or an explanation of them.
3.3.3 Writing
Write a similar short informative text about the regulation on how local governments work
financially in Hungary.
You might want to use the information provided in the cardinal Act on the Local
Governments of Hungary (Act CLXXXIX of 2011):
2011. évi CLXXXIX. törvény Magyarország helyi önkormányzatairól
106. § (1) E törvény alkalmazásában saját bevétel:
a) a helyi adók;
b) saját tevékenységből, vállalkozásból és az önkormányzati vagyon hasznosításából

származó bevétel, nyereség, osztalék, kamat és bérleti díj;
c) átvett pénzeszközök;
d) törvény alapján az önkormányzatot megillető illeték, bírság, díj;
e) az önkormányzat és intézményei egyéb sajátos bevételei.
(2) A helyi önkormányzat vagyona a tulajdonából és a helyi önkormányzatot megillető

vagyoni értékű jogokból áll, amelyek az önkormányzati feladatok és célok ellátását
szolgálják.
Az önkormányzat gazdálkodása
111. § (1) A helyi önkormányzat költségvetése az államháztartás része. Az önkormányzati

alrendszer költségvetése a központi költségvetéstől elkülönül, ahhoz központi költségvetési
támogatásokkal kapcsolódik.
118
(2) A helyi önkormányzat gazdálkodásának alapja az éves költségvetése. Ebből finanszírozza

és látja el törvényben meghatározott kötelező, valamint a kötelező feladatai ellátását nem
veszélyeztető önként vállalt feladatait.
(3) A (2) bekezdés szerinti feladatok ellátásának forrásait és kiadásait a helyi önkormányzat
egységes költségvetési rendelete elkülönítetten tartalmazza.
(4) A költségvetési rendeletben működési hiány nem tervezhető.
(5) Az állami költségvetési tervezés önkormányzatokat érintő feladatait az államháztartásért

felelős miniszter és a helyi önkormányzatokért felelős miniszter végzi.
A helyi önkormányzatok feladatfinanszírozási rendszere
117. § (1) A feladatfinanszírozási rendszer keretében az Országgyűlés a központi

költségvetésről szóló törvényben meghatározott módon a helyi önkormányzatok
a) kötelezően ellátandó, törvényben előírt egyes feladatainak – felhasználási kötöttséggel – a

feladatot meghatározó jogszabályban megjelölt közszolgáltatási szintnek megfelelő ellátását
feladatalapú támogatással biztosítja, vagy azok ellátásához a feladat, a helyi szükségletek
alapján jellemző mutatószámok, illetve a lakosságszám alapján támogatást biztosít,
b) az a) pontba nem tartozó feladatainak ellátásához felhasználási kötöttséggel járó, vagy

felhasználási kötöttség nélküli támogatást nyújthat.
(2) Az (1) bekezdés szerinti támogatás biztosítása a következő szempontok

figyelembevételével történik:
a) takarékos gazdálkodás,
b) a helyi önkormányzat jogszabályon alapuló, elvárható saját bevétele,
c) a helyi önkormányzat tényleges saját bevétele.
(3) A figyelembe veendő bevételek körét és mértékét törvény határozza meg.
(4) A feladatfinanszírozási rendszernek biztosítania kell a helyi önkormányzatok bevételi

érdekeltségének fenntartását.
3.4 Diagram descriptions
Describe these diagrams about some financial matters of local governments.
If you can, give an explanation of the situation they show.
119
http://outside.mfor.hu/mfor/images/bevetel_120422.jpg
http://ww
w.portfolio.hu/img/upload/2009/11/onkorm_eladosodottsag_20091118.jpg
120
http
://www.portfolio.hu/img/upload/2009/11/betet_hitel_20091118.jpg
4) Just for fun
The curious tradition of weighing the

mayor
Weighing the mayor at the start of his or term of

office and again at the end is a custom unique to
High Wycombe. It is thought the tradition started to
ensure the mayor and other officials did not "live
off the fat of the land" at the expense of the
ratepayers, though no one is certain.
The ceremony used to take place in White Hart

Street and was a very colourful affair with a
procession from the church during which the
citizens of the town threw flowers along the route
and a drummer led the way. It is still a big occasion
in town though not quite so colourful.
The weighing is held in the High Street on huge

scales and various dignitaries are weighed in
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addition to the councillors. It is traditional for the crowd to jeer when the person is declared to
weigh so many pounds "and some more" and for the crowd to cheer if it is "and no more".
However, I can reveal one secret.
The mayor rarely gains weight during his or her term of office - at the start of the year the
mayor is weighed with the chain and all the regalia, but at the end of the year no longer wears
the chain and regalia (it being worn by the new mayor)!
The ceremony is held on a different date each year but usually towards the end of May.
http://www.strangebritain.co.uk/traditions/weighing.htm/l
What is your opinion about this tradition?
Does losing weight really indicate hard work?
Do you know of any Hungarian traditions connected to municipalities?
Written translation
First study the examples, and then translate the sentences paying special attention to the
phrases written in bold.
5.1 Examples
When translating, what is a clause in the original text may become a verb-phrase, a
noun-phrase or a word-group in the translation and vice versa. However, more often than
not it is the Hungarian text which uses a clause instead of a verb-phrase, a noun-phrase or a
word-group used in the English text and not the other way round.
Some examples taken from the texts of this unit:
1) In England there was a process of local consultations which lead to the single tier model
being supported, and implemented, in some places and rejected in rather more.
…, hogy az egyszintű modellt támogatták / tartották fenn
2) There is no difference in powers between parish and town councils – the distinction is just
that town councils cover areas which are more highly urban than parish ones.
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… hogy a városi önkormányzatok városiasabb jellegű területeket foglalnak magukba, mint a

községiek.
3) In particular it is generally used of any town containing a Cathedral.
… amelyben található székesegyház
4) Boroughs were originally towns that had grown large and important enough to be given
their own government.
... hogy saját önkormányzatot kapjanak
5.2. Translation from English into Hungarian
Translate the following sentences taken from the reading passages of this unit. Pay special
attention to the expressions in bold.
1)Councillors represent geographical wards and serve for four years before needing to seek
re-election.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2) Until recently, most council decisions were taken by committees appointed from within
the Council, with only the most important decisions being taken by the entire Council.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3) There is now provision for councils to have a directly elected mayor responsible for most
decisions in association with a small Cabinet of Councillors.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
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5.3 Translation from Hungarian into English
Translate the following sentences into English. Pay special attention to the expressions in
bold.
1) A megyei önkormányzat legfontosabb feladata abban rejlik, hogy kiegészítő jelleggel

mindazokat a közszolgáltatásokat biztosítsa, amelyeknek ellátására a települések gazdasági
helyzetükből adódóan nem képesek.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
2) A helyi önkormányzatok speciális fajtája a fővárosi önkormányzat, amely kétszintű

önkormányzattal rendelkezik, ugyanis a főváros és kerületei önkormányzataiból áll.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
3) Az Ötv. értelmében a fővárosi önkormányzat és a kerületi önkormányzatok közötti feladat-

megosztás alapvetően eltér a települési önkormányzatok és a megyei önkormányzatok közötti
feladat- és hatáskör megosztástól, amely elengedhetetlenül maga után vonja a jogállásbeli
különbségeket is.
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
124
__________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________
125
5.4 Oral summary
Study this Electoral Notice
126
http://www.nvi.hu/en/content/Hirdetmenyplakat_OGY2014_en.pdf
Summarise the information provided in this Electoral Notice for an EU citizen living in
Hungary.
127
http://
valasztas.hu/hu/content/Hirdetmeny_onk2014.pdf
128
6) List of legal terms

Local governments
abolish ige eltöröl, megsemmisít, hatályon kívül helyez
abolition fn vmnek az eltörlése, megsemmisítése
absorb ige elnyel, magába szív
accomplish ige elkészít, elvégez, megvalósít, teljesít
account for ige megmagyaráz, elszámol, magyarázatul szolgál vmre
administration fn (a) igazgatás (b) kezelés (vagyoné)
advisory mn tanácsadó
affair fn ügy, dolog, eset
fn (a) elrendezés, beosztás, szervezés (b) egyezségkötés,

arrangement
megegyezés (c) előkészület
assembly fn gyülekezés, gyűlés, gyülekezet, összejövetel
associate ige társul
association fn társulás, egyesület, szövetség
attain ige elér, elnyer
attempt fn kísérlet ige megkísérel
1 fn (a) haszon, előny (b) segély, juttatás 2 ige (a) javára van,
benefit
előnyére szolgál (b) benefit from hasznot húz vmből
bill 1 fn számla 2 ige számláz, számlát benyújt
bond fn kötvény
boost 1 fn fellendülés, fellendítés 2 ige fellendít, erősít, fokoz
borough fn város, törvényhatóság
budget fn költségvetés
call for sth ige megkíván, megkövetel
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capital fn (a) főváros (b) tőke
cardinal act fn HU sarkalatos törvény
cemetery fn temető
chair 1 fn (levezető) elnök 2 ige elnököl
charge 1 fn díj, költség, ár 2 ige díjat kiszab
1 fn (a) megbízás, bizomány (b) bizottság (c)

commission
megbízási/ügynöki díj, jutalék 2 ige megrendel, megbíz
committed to sth mn elkötelezett vm mellett
concern 1 fn vonatkozás, törődés, aggodalom 2 ige érint, tartozik vkre

• be concerned with • érinti vm, törődik/foglalkozik vmvel
sth
confuse ige összezavar, zavarba hoz
consolidate ige (a) megerősít (b) egyesít, összevon
contribute to sth ige hozzájárul vmhez
convene ige öszehív
cost-effective mn költséghatékony
councillor fn tanácstag
counterbalance 1 fn ellensúly 2 ige ellensúlyoz, egyensúlyba hoz
debt fn adósság
declaration of assets fn HU vagyonnyilatkozat
decline 1 fn hanyatlás 2 ige hanyatlik, csökken
decrease 1 fn csökkenés 2ige csökken, csökkent
demand 1 fn (a) követelés (b) kereslet 2 ige követel
dignitary fn méltóság, magas tisztség viselője
discretion fn (a) mérlegelés (b) belátás, megítélés
discretionary mn tetszés szerinti, szabad belátásra/mérlegelésre bízott
disposal fn elintézés, eldobás, ártalmatlanítás
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distinction fn (a) megkülönböztetés, különbségtétel (b) különbség
district fn (a) körzet, kerület (b) járás
diverse mn különféle, sokféle
diversity fn sokféleség, változatosság
division fn részleg, tagozat, kategória
economical mn gazdaságos
effectiveness fn hatékonyság
efficiency fn eredményesség
efficient mn eredményes, hathatós, hatékony
endure ige (a) kibír, eltűr, elvisel (b) fennmarad, eltart
entity fn entitás
• legal entity • fn jogi személy

era fn kor(szak)
exclusion fn kizárás, kirekesztés
expectation fn elvárás, várakozás
• live up to the • megfelel a várakozásnak, beváltja a hozzá fűzött

expectation reményt
expenditure fn kiadás, pénz felhasználása
expense fn kiadás, ráfordítás
• at the expense of • vki költségére, vki kárára

facilitate ige elősegít, lehetővé tesz
found ige (meg)alapít
framework fn keret, szerkezet
Fundamental Law fn HU Alaptörvény
generality fn általánosság, általános jelleg
governance fn kormányzás, irányítás
gradual mn fokozatos
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grant 1 fn központi támogatás
growth fn növekedés
halt 1 fn megállás, megakadás 2 ige megáll, megállít
highway fn közút, országút
homeless mn hajléktalan
impact fn hatás
implementing act fn végrehajtási jogszabály
income fn jövedelem, bevétel
incur ige elszenved, magára von, kiteszi magát vmnek
indebtedness fn eladósodottság
inspectorate fn felügyelőség
jeer ige lehurrog vkt
jurisdiction fn hatáskör, joghatóság
management fn (a) igazgatás, vezetés (b) vezetőség
mandatory mn kötelező
mayor fn polgármester
municipality fn törvényhatósági joggal felruházott város/község
negotiate ige (a) tárgyal (b) keresztülvisz, kieszközöl
object fn (a) tárgy, dolog (b) cél, feladat
objective fn cél, feladat, szándék
obstacle fn akadály, gát
offspring fn utód(ok), leszármazott(ak)
on behalf of vk nevében/helyett/érdekében
operation fn működés
option fn választás, választási lehetőség
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ownership fn tulajdon, tulajdonjog
parish fn parókia
• parish council • községi tanács

• parish meeting • községi gyűlés
participation fn részvétel
partnership fn szövetkezés, társulás, partnerség, partneri viszony
pest fn rovarkártevő, kártékony állat
• pest control • rovarirtás, kártevők irtása

pillar fn oszlop
pool 1 fn közös készlet, közös alap 2 ige közös alapba összegyűjt
population fn népesség
postpone ige elhalaszt
precept fn utasítás, helyi adóbehajtási utasítás
preoccupation fn fő gond, fő gondolat
preservation fn megóvás, megvédés
preserve ige megóv, megtart, megőriz
procession fn felvonulás, menet, körmenet
profess ige kijelent, állít, vall
property fn (a) tulajdon (b) tulajdon tárgyai, dolog
quest for sth fn keresés, kutatás
rate fn (a) arány, hányad, ráta (b) szint (c) helyi adó
fn (a) átvétel, kézhezvétel (b) nyugta, átvételi elismervény

receipt
receipts bevétel, jövedelem
refuse fn hulladék, szemét
regalia fn valamely rend, hivatal jelvényei
reinforcement fn megerősítés
reject ige visszautasít, elutasít
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remote fn távoli
resident mn lakó, tartózkodó
resolution fn határozat
resource fn erőforrás
respect fn összefüggés, vonatkozás
• with respect to • vmre vonatkozóan, tekintettel vmre

restore ige helyreállít, visszaállít
restriction fn megszorítás, korlátozás
revenue fn jövedelem, állami bevétel
revive ige újjáéleszt, megújít
scrutiny fn alapos megvizsgálás
seek ige sought, sought (a) keres, kutat (b) szándékozik,megkísérel
service provider fn szolgáltató
settlement fn (a) település (b) elszámolás (c) egyezség, megegyezés
sewage fn szennyvíz(elvezetés)
shrink ige shrank, shrunk(en) összezsugorodik
solution fn megoldás
sound mn (a) egészséges, ép (b) erős, szilárd
spatial planning fn területrendezés
splintering mn szétforgácsolt
statutory mn törvény által szabályozott, törvényi, törvényes
stipulate ige (szerződésben) kiköt, előír, meghatároz
fn szubszidiaritás, az az elv, mely szerint minden döntést és

subsidiarity végrehajtást a lehető legalacsonyabb szinten kell meghozni,
ahol a legnagyobb hozzáértéssel rendelkeznek
sustainable mn fenntartható
syndicate fn meghatározott céllal kialakított egyesülés, szindikátus
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ige (a) megküzd, megbirkózik vmvel (b) nekifog, hozzálát

tackle
vmnek
take into account ige számításba/figyelembe vesz
tax fn adó
tier fn réteg, szint
title of honour fn tiszteletbeli cím,/rang
trace back ige visszavezet vmt az eredetéhez, visszamegy az eredéhez
transition fn átmenet
transparency fn átlátszóság
trunk road fn főútvonal, elsőrendű/főközlekedési útvonal
undertaking fn vállalkozás
undetermined mn határozatlan
unemployment fn munkanélküliség
viability fn életképesség
voluntary fn önkéntes, önként vállalt
ward fn (a) városi kerület, negyed (b) választó körzet
waste fn hulladék
UNIT 6 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
http://sg.nec.com/en_SG/images/PublicSafety/topbanner/PUBLIC-ADMINISTRATION-SERVICES.jpg
135
1) Statutory regulation
1.1 Information about Hungary for foreign

regulators
Legislationline (www.legislationline.org), a free-of-

charge online legislative database, was created in
2002 to assist OSCE participating States in bringing
their legislation into line with relevant international
human-rights standards. Legislationline.org
provides direct access to international norms and
standards relating to specific human dimension
issues, as well as to domestic legislation and other
documents of relevance to these issues. The database was designed as a drafting tool for
lawmakers, not simply as an archive of domestic or international legislation. Its purpose is to
provide assistance to those who prepare and draft laws at the working level. Through
Legislationline, they can obtain examples and options from other countries' legislation that
can help them make their own choices.
http://www.osce.org/node/43644
Although its database is up-to-date, its fact sheet about Hungary is far from being like that.
Read the information provided on Legislation’s website about Hungary.
Update the text, and then compare the changes you made with those others made.
When doing so, among others, you may use these linguistic tools:
• Formerly Parliament had 386 members, but now there are only 199 MPs.
• Before the adoption of the new regulation Parliament had 386 members, however, at
present it has only 199.
• According to / pursuant to the new regulation there are 199 seats in Parliament as
opposed to 386 in the past.
• Parliament used to have 386 elected members, while now it has only 199.
Hungary
The Republic of Hungary is a parliamentary republic and a unitary state divided into 19
counties.
Constitution is the supreme law in Hungary. The 1949 Constitution was revised several times
among which the most important amendments were added in 1989 and in 1997. The revision
of October 1989 granted legal rights for individuals, constitutional checks on the authority of
the Prime Minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight. In 1997, an
amendment, which streamlined the judicial system was added.
136
Other sources of Hungarian law are the Acts of Parliament, international agreements,
governmental and ministerial decrees and decrees of local governments.
The legislative power is exercised by a unicameral National Assembly. The members of the
Assembly are elected for a four-year term by popular vote under a system of proportional and
direct representation. Out of the total 386 seats, 176 are decided in single constituency vote,
152 on the basis of 20 district lists (county and municipal), and 58 seats on the basis of
national lists. The Parliament has an extensive power over the government.
Legislative procedure: The Parliament enacts laws with a majority of the votes of the
Members of Parliament present. Legislation may be initiated by the President, the
Government, all Parliamentary Committees, and individual members of Parliament. The
President ensures promulgation of the law within a period of fifteen days, or within a period
of five days if upon the request of the Speaker of Parliament. If the President disagrees with a
law or with any provision of a law, prior to promulgation, he/she may refer the law, with
comments, to the Parliament for reconsideration. The President is required to sign and
promulgate the law, if the Parliament adopted it in the second reading. If the President has
reservations about the constitutionality of any provision of a law, he/she may refer the law to
the Constitutional Court for review prior to promulgation. Should the Constitutional Court
determine the law to be unconstitutional, the President refers the law to the Parliament for
revision. The President of the Republic signs the law subject to national referendum if the law
is confirmed by a national referendum.
Executive power in Hungary is vested in the President, Prime Minister and the government.
The National Assembly appoints the President for a five-year term for a maximum of two
successive terms.
The government consists of the Prime Minister and the ministers. The Prime Minister is
elected by a simple majority vote of the members of Parliament. The ministers are proposed
by the Prime Minister, and appointed and relieved of their duties by the President.
Judicial system in Hungary consists of three tiers: the Supreme Court, the Court of the Capital
City and the county (municipal) courts and local (municipal district) courts. The areas of
jurisdiction include criminal, civil and administrative law. Common courts deal with
administrative judgements. There are no special, administrative courts.
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial organ. Supreme Court ensures the uniformity in
application of law by the courts. It sets guidelines based on principles for the judicial work of
every court. The directives and decisions in questions of principle of the Supreme Court are
binding for all courts of the country.
The Constitutional Court was established in 1989. Its jurisdiction covers the review of the
constitutionality of laws. Any law or secondary legislation acts found unconstitutional are
137
annulled by the Constitutional Court. In cases defined by law, anyone may initiate
proceedings with the Constitutional Court. The Court also examines disputes concerning
competence between the organs of central administration. The decisions of the Constitutional
Court are final.
http://www.legislationline.org/countries/country/25#
1.2 What is public administration?
1.2.1 Read the text below and first underline the parts that provide information about the
following:
• definition of public administration
• common features of the different systems of public administration
• differences in civil service
Then take notes about these three items. Keep your notes short but sufficiently informative.
What is public administration?
Public administration is the implementation of government policies. Today public

administration is often regarded as including also some responsibility for determining the
policies and programs of governments. Specifically, it is the planning, organizing, directing,
coordinating, and controlling of government operations.
While the functional objectives of government administration vary from system to system, all
countries that are technologically developed have evolved systems of public administration. A
number of common features may be detected in all such systems. The first is the hierarchical,
or pyramidal, character of the organization by which a single chief executive oversees a few
subordinates, who in turn oversee their chief subordinates, who are in turn responsible for
overseeing other subordinates, and so on until a great structure of personnel is integrated and
focussed on the components of a particular program. A second common feature is the division
of labour or specialization within the organization. Each individual in the hierarchy has
138
specialized responsibilities and tasks. A third feature is the maintenance of detailed official
records and the existence of precise paper procedures through which the personnel of the
system communicate with each other and with the public. Finally, tenure of office is also
characteristic of all public bureaucracies.
The various national civil services, despite their similarities, also show important differences,
particularly in the way in which individuals are recruited and in the status accorded them in
the political system. The British civil service, for example, has traditionally been composed of
three classes, or grades—clerical, executive, and administrative. Administrative civil servants,
the highest grade, are recruited by examination from among recent university graduates. The
top managers of the different government ministries are drawn from this elite group. They
remain in office despite changes in government and are accorded immense prestige. The U.S.
civil service is organized into more than a dozen grades. Although promotion from the lower
grades is the typical means by which positions in the top grades are filled, there is also a flow
of individuals into senior positions from private business and the professions. The U.S.
equivalent of the administrative civil servant in Britain is usually a political appointee
recruited by each new administration from private life or from a position in politics.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/467746/political-system/36743/Public-administration
1.2.2 Compare your notes with those of other students in the group. Modify yours if you think
it is necessary.
Then provide information about the Hungarian situation to exemplify the items in your notes.
1.3 Administration in an EU context: Principles of good administration
Good administration as a right of citizens is enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental

Rights (CFR), which has the same legal value as the Treaties after the entry into force of the
Treaty of Lisbon. Pursuant to Article 41 CFR par 1 "Every person has the right to have his or
her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions, bodies,
offices and agencies of the Union". However, the current legal framework is fragmanted and
uneven and the detailed provisions needed to enforce this right are lacking. In its report to the
Commission, the Committee on Legal Affairs advocated for a general European Law of
Administrative Procedure of the European Union. This law would clarify many elements of
this right with regard to the general principles of impartiality and fairness, including
lawfulness, non-discrimination, equal treatment and proportionality.
What actual elements, rights and requirements can you think of which should be included in
this Law? Compare your ideas with the list below.
• Need to act within a reasonable time

• Right of every person to be heard
• Right to access one's own file
139
• Duty to reason a decision

• Have the Union make good any damage
• Right to communicate with the institutions in any of the Treaty languages
On the following pages you can find three texts that provide examples of problems
encountered by citizens and economic operators with regard to the right to good
administration. Match each text with the right or requirement it is concerned with.
Source: Law of Administrative Procedure of the European UnionEuropean Added Value Assessment
EAVA 1/2012
Text 1
Text 2
Text 3
TEXT 1
The case concerns a German inventor, who created an asthma inhaler to improve the lives of
millions of patients, saving billions of euros, but who was prevented from selling it because of
a 13-year-long failure of the Commission to act.
The inhaler was put on the market in Germany after obtaining all the necessary certifications
(including a. CE mark) to be sold as a medical device without medication. But in 1997, the
Bavarian government claimed the product could be unsafe and convinced another German
state to issue a sales injunction against the company which began selling the inhalers. It also
notified the European Commission about the injunction, as required under the applicable
Council Directive 93/42/EEC on medical devices. However, instead of analysing whether the
product was dangerous and proceeding with a safeguard procedure, the European
Commission did not issue a ruling, meaning the company was never given a chance to appeal
against any decision.
In 2005, the inhaler was sold under a new name and another sales injunction was issued, but
this decision was not notified to the European Commission. The manufacturer turned to the
Commission, with a view to initiating infringement proceedings against Germany.
But again, the Commission did nothing, taking the view that there was no need for a product
safety review.
The failure of the Commission to act had important consequences. The manufacturer was
prevented to sell his product legally for more than 13 years, without any means of legal
redress and has consequently suffered considerable loss of earnings. Moreover, the inhaler
saves between 25 and 35 per cent of the costs for asthmatics. With around 34 million
asthmatics in the EU, the insurance companies and the National Health Service could have
saved EUR 50 billion had the inhaler been used since 1997 for asthmatics alone.
140
The European Parliament took up this case and called on the Commission to respond to the
manufacturer's legitimate concerns and to take necessary steps to enable him to assert his
rights.
P7_TA(2011)0017, EP resolution on Petition 0473/2008 by Christoph Klein (German)
TEXT 2
The case concerns a company involved in a number of projects financed by the Commission.
In the framework of a commercial dispute, one of its subcontractors obtained from a court in
Luxembourg a claim for debt reimbursement for an amount of EUR 50 000. When the
Commission was informed of this order, without any prior hearing of the complainant, it took
the decision to retain the sum of EUR 50 000 from the amounts due to the complainant.
Furthermore, again without informing the complainant – who learnt about it later, informally,
from some Commission staffers – the Commission listed the company in its so called "Early
Warning System" (''EWS"). The EWS alerts the Commission to cases where a beneficiary
may have committed (serious) administrative errors or even fraud. The listing of a company in
the EWS is communicated to all Commission services.
As a result of this, and even though the Commission had already decided to retain the EUR 50
000 sum, the blocking of the complainant's payments was almost a permanent situation. The
company exchanged several letters with the Commission concerning the matter, but remained
listed in the EWS until almost a year later. The company suffered serious loss as regards new
contracts, major delays in payments, administrative overheads and irreparable damage to its
reputation.
As the Ombudsman rightly pointed, this case illustrates the importance of striking a fair
balance between the protection of the Communities’ financial interests and respect for the
rights of the defence of the parties involved. While the Commission acted in conformity with
the law with regards to the retention of the EUR 50 000 sum, the company’s continued listing
in the EWS was unfair and constituted an instance of maladministration.
Complaint 2468/2004/OV (Confidential) against the European Commission
TEXT 3
The case concerns access to documents relating to CO2 emissions from cars. In 2006, the
Commission held consultations with key stakeholders concerning a proposal to reduce CO2
emissions from passenger cars. In this context, former Commission Vice-President Verheugen
received several letters from car manufacturers, including three from Porsche AG. In March
2007, the environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Europe requested access to these letters.
The Commission originally refused access, arguing that disclosure of the letters would
undermine the protection of the company’s commercial interests.
Following an inspection of the documents, the Ombudsman recommended giving access to

the letters. The Commission asked for six extensions to the three-month deadline before
finally accepting, in part, the recommendation: it accepted granting partial access to the three
Porsche AG letters to former Vice-President Verheugen. The Commission still did not
141
provide convincing additional explanations to justify its decision to provide only partial
disclosure of the documents concerned.
The Ombudsman considered that the Commission’s delay in replying constituted an

infringement of its duty under the Treaty to cooperate with him sincerely and in good faith
and the insufficient justification of its decision to deny full access to documents was an
instance of maladministration.
In its Resolution of 25 November 2010, the European Parliament endorsed the Ombudsman’s
critical remarks and considered that the Commission’s uncooperative attitude in this and other
similar cases risks eroding citizen’s trust in the Commission.
This case illustrates the importance on clear and precise standards on the duty to reason a
decision for the correct and full exercise by citizens of their right to access to documents.
Complaint 676/2008/RT against the European Commission
1.4 The need for better defined standards
In addition to clarifying the general principles, a new law on administrative procedure should
codify a number of basic procedural rules and standards to be followed by the Union's
administration when handling individual cases. This claim is supported by the chart below.
Describe the chart illustrating the Ombudsman's statistics on alleged maladministration.
Law of Administrative Procedure of the European UnionEuropean Added Value Assessment EAVA
1/2012
2) Development, organs and procedures
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2.1 A report on local and regional democracy in Hungary
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities created

a report on local and regional democracy in Hungary in
the light of the European Charter on Local Self-
Government, to which Hungary is a signatory state.
Read the extracts (1 - 7) from this report and match the parts with the appropriate headings
(a - h). There is one extra heading which you should not use.
a. Municipal elections
b. Institutional arrangements and devolution of powers
c. Administrative organisation of Hungary
d. Local self-government and economic hardships
e. Administrative supervision
f. Financial resources
g. Structural reforms – re-centralisation
h. Municipalities
Local and regional democracy in Hungary
extracts
This report on the situation of local and regional democracy in Hungary follows up on
Recommendation 116 (2002) and the Congress visit carried out in May 2012.
1) __________________________________________
When the communist regime collapsed in 1990, Hungary opted for an administrative and
political organisation that left an important role for local government, seen as an essential
outlet for democracy. Hungary’s local structures are municipalities, counties, towns with
county rights and the city of Budapest; the structures governed by common law are the
municipalities and the 19 counties.
2) __________________________________________
A sizeable proportion of the powers exercised by the State at that time were entrusted to local
authorities and to the municipalities in particular. According to the previous regulation,
municipalities, in specific terms, were given responsibility for primary teaching, water supply
and wastewater services, road maintenance, local public transport, local development,
environmental protection, land use, fire protection and protection of minority rights, which are
all competences that are vital to citizens’ everyday lives.
It is noteworthy that electoral legislation provides for separate elections for the mayor and the
municipal council, which may result in political “cohabitation” at local level. Supervision of
acts is exercised by the town clerk who is employed by the municipality as head of
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administration. In the event of finding an unlawful decision which the municipal council or
mayor refuses to amend, the town clerk refers the matter to the Office of Public
Administration. The town clerk has a formal obligation to indicate if s/he has an objection
against the legality of a municipal act. The legal supervision over local governments is the
exclusive power of the county governmental offices (earlier the county administrative
offices).
A high proportion of Hungarians live in towns within a special institutional framework, as

60% of the population live in the 139 towns whose population numbers over 10,000
inhabitants. Towns with county rights have a specific status combining the prerogatives of a
municipality and those of a county. They enjoyed strong expansion in the 1990s. Their
inhabitants vote for their council but not for the council of the county in which they are
located.
The city of Budapest is home to around one-fifth of Hungary’s inhabitants. It is divided into
23 districts.
3) __________________________________________
Local elections are held in the autumn following the parliamentary elections. Accordingly,
the last local elections took place in October 2010. The electoral legislation was amended by
the newly elected parliamentary majority, making it more difficult for smaller parties to
participate.
The voting system used in local elections depends on the size of the municipality. For
municipalities with over 10 000 inhabitants, a parallel mixed ballot geared to proportional
representation is used. This is a system combining a majority ballot for one seat per
constituency and a ballot for the allocation of compensatory seats on the basis of the
remainders of votes that were not used for the allocation of constituency seats. For
municipalities with less than 10 000 habitants, a combination method is used, allowing voters
to compose their own list, placing in order as many candidates as there are seats. This means
that they may vote for candidates from the same party or choose candidates from opposing
parties. The candidates elected are those having received the highest number of votes.
To manage European funding, Hungary has set up 7 “regions for statistical and development
purposes” which are merely administrative structures serving the purpose of management. By
January 2013, the counties (see below) should be capable of such management themselves
and the “regions for statistical and development purposes” are destined to disappear.
The other local level (which corresponds to a regional level according to the Council of
Europe’s definition) is the county, which, up to 1990, constituted the foundation of territorial
administration in Hungary (since the 11th century). The counties played a central role in
Hungary in the communist era but became somewhat less important after 1990. They have
few prerogatives and cannot raise taxes. In the past, counties were competent in public health,
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but this is not the case anymore, as they are under the responsibility of the central government
since 2011.
The county council is elected by direct universal suffrage, from lists presented by political
parties or associations, and its members elect the head of the council’s executive. As for
municipalities, the head of administration is designated and remunerated by the county.
While it did not call these structures into question, the Cardinal Act on Local Government of
21 December 2011 did make substantial changes to their competences and the division of
powers between local authorities and the State.
4) __________________________________________
In the difficult economic context faced by Hungary, numerous cities are heavily indebted, and
many small municipalities are struggling to exercise their powers: many of them have had to
resort to state aid to balance the books. It is increasingly difficult for them to borrow money,
which must be authorised by the government. Inflation remains high in sectors that have a
direct impact on their budgets. And the co-funding required by structural policies is also
reliant on cities and municipalities. Between 60 and 65% of local government structures are
in a difficult financial situation, and between 10 and 15%, according to the figures provided
by the Ministry of the Interior (20% according to the local government associations), in a
critical situation.
Given the awkward financial situation for local authorities, the new government has opted for
a radical solution, which entails taking direct charge of the most costly public services. Health
and social care as much as education represent 86% of local government expenditure.
The competences related to primary education effectuated by municipalities, and the powers
exercised by the counties in the health sphere were almost completely shifted to the State.
Accordingly, local government will no longer exercise its most costly prerogatives now taken
over by the State. The counties did lose their main responsibilities where management of the
everyday lives of their communities is concerned, while preserving, in Section 7 of Act
CLXXXIX of 2011, more general competences in the area of spatial development, regional
development, spatial planning and economic development for long-term projects. The
municipalities will continue to manage school buildings and facilities but will no longer be
competent as regards teachers and managers of education establishments. The State will
henceforth be taking the decisions, on the appointment of teachers, the opening and closing of
classes, and decide on the curriculum, that is, on the content of teaching.
Local organisation in Hungary currently hinges mainly on its 3,100 municipalities. As they
are often very small, they lack the means to fulfil their local public services mission. There
are over 1,700 municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, one-third of the 3,100
municipalities have fewer than 500 inhabitants. These very small municipalities are finding it
even more difficult than the others to cope with the economic crisis.
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5) __________________________________________
The democratic transition of 1990 established an institutional system where local authorities,
and municipalities in particular, held an important role. With their extensive prerogatives,
local authorities could be seen, alongside the State, as the second pillar of a democracy geared
to a two-tiered system. After 1990, as the country made its democratic transition, they were
entrusted with numerous powers which they exercised either alone or by delegation from the
State.
6) __________________________________________
The Széll Kálmán economic plan presented in March 2011 resulted in the drawing up of a
programme of structural reforms for Hungary for the period 2011-2014, which includes a
section on local authorities. It states that local budgets are crucial to Hungary’s financial
recovery since, in the system still in force in 2011, they assumed responsibility for education
and health. Local authority debt doubled between 2006 and 2009, attaining 3.9% of the GDP,
and an essential share of that debt must be attributed to those two sectors. Following on from
that finding, Cardinal Act CLXXXIX on Local Government of December 2011 concentrates
competences at national level.
Most of the delegated administrative powers were taken back by the central government from
local officials (mainly from the town hall clerk). Since 1 January 2013, almost all the local
and regional state administrative tasks and functions have been carried out by 198 “district
offices”, which are the subordinate units of the county governmental offices.
Whereas services had been essentially provided by local authorities since 1990, the new
Cardinal act entrusted the State with two services that are key to citizens’ everyday lives,
namely schools and health. The new text has been applicable since 1 January 2012, with
municipalities no longer being responsible for primary education and counties no longer being
responsible for public health.
7) __________________________________________
The Fundamental Law provides for compulsory transmission of local authority decrees to the
supervision office in the capital and the county which, where applicable, may take them to
court with a request for their revision (Article 32.4 of the Fundamental Law states:
“Following the promulgation of a decree, the local authority shall immediately send that
decree to the governmental office of the capital and the department. If the governmental
office of the capital and the department finds that the municipal decree, or a provision thereof,
contravenes a legal norm, it may apply to the court with a request for the revision of the
municipal decree.”). There is a procedure for issuing a deficiency report in the event of failure
to execute a legal obligation.
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Article 17(3) of the Fundamental Law states that the Government’s regional administrative
bodies with general competence should be the metropolitan and county government offices.
Based on Article 34(4) of the Fundamental Law, the Government should perform the legal
supervision of local governments through the metropolitan and county government offices. In
accordance with Section 12 subsection b) of the Government Decree 212/2010 (VII.1) on the
tasks and responsibilities of the Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, since July
2010, the Minister of Public Administration and Justice is responsible for the legal
supervision of local governments. However, local authority decisions may be annulled only
on decision of the judicial authority.
Hungarian local and regional authorities are also subject to financial supervision by the State
Audit Office, provided for in Article 34 of the Fundamental Law, and also in Article 119 of
the Cardinal Act CLXXXIX on Local Government.
2.2 Reforms in Hungarian public administration
Joint presentations
Work in two groups.

Group 1 should read text 1 on public sector reform in Hungary.
Group 2 should read text 2 on e-government in Hungary.
First identify the most important pieces of information in your text using the items provided
below the text as a guideline. Be selective in doing so. (You will find your text below.)
Then discuss who will speak about which item and prepare your own contributions.
Finally tell the other group about Hungarian public sector reform and e-governance,
respectively.
While speaking, don't forget to make sure that your audience can follow you.
2.2.1 Reading
TEXT 1
Public Sector Reform in Hungary: Views and Experiences from Senior Executives
Country Report as part of the COCOPS (Coordination for Cohesion in the Public Sector of
the Future) Research Project
Context and Status Quo of Public Administration Reform in Hungary
Hungary is a unitary, parliamentary republic. The executive branch is divided into three
levels.
The Hungarian central government subsystem is divided into ministries, the number of which
ranged between 12 and 18 between 1990 and 2010; at the core of which lied the Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO) with the head of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister, on its peak.
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Ministries are chiefly responsible for policy-making while most of the implementation tasks –
especially those with a territorial dimension – are carried out by agencies.
At the second, sub-ministerial level one finds a number of agencies – public organizations
with nation-wide competence supervised by a ministry or the Cabinet. Many of these central
agencies have field offices on county or even lower (local) administrative levels (e.g.
employment, tax offices), employing a significant share of civil servants. Between 1990 and
2006 the proliferation of these agencies was a constant trend in Hungary. In this period there
were various organizations possibly regarded as agencies, but there were no overarching legal
framework for agency type organizations. In 2006 and as part of its attempts to (re)gain
control over government apparatuses the second Gyurcsány cabinet initiated a law regulating
the basic structural features of government organizations. This regulation included a clearly
defined, closed agency typology, which all existing and new agencies had to comply with.
At the third level of administration one finds the local governments. The local government
system is a two-tier one involving, at the upper tier, nineteen counties and the capital city
Budapest, and, at the lower, municipal tier almost 3200 local governments governed by
elected councils. Local governments were, until very recently, responsible for a broad set of
public service provision tasks, including child care, education, health, and local physical
infrastructure services.
Since 2011 however a sweeping wave of centralization reached the local government system,
as a result of which much of the health and education services having been taken over by the
central government.
Hungary’s state structures as having existed in most of the post-1990 period can be assessed
as a relatively unique one characterized by such elements as:
- a strong legislature exercising numerous executive functions too (supervisor of public

corporations, elector of key officials of other branches);
- a high proportion of laws requiring a qualified, (two-thirds) majority to be changed;
- a strong and dense system of checks and balances outside the executive branch, including
the possibly strongest constitutional court in Europe, a public prosecution not controlled by
the executive;
- an entirely autonomous administration of the judiciary; and
- an ever-expanding system of various ombudsmen.
These elements were mostly rooted in the political deals stroke around the system change and
were driven, among others, by such factors as (i) an intention to block any future attempts at
reverting the liberal democratic political changes and (ii) the partly unfounded idealism –
partly fed by a swing-of-the-pendulum-type reaction to the totalitarian past – of major
political forces and their partly naive belief in the self-organizing and controlling capacity of
politico-administrative systems. These building blocks, in sum, resulted in a governance
system – sometimes referred to as “regulatory impotence” – limiting policy makers’
capability to act to a dysfunctional extent.
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From 2010 – the inauguration of the second Orbán Cabinet – a new policy on administrative
reform and on cornerstones of the state structure emerged. This spectacular change was driven
by a quest to further enhance the political control of administrative apparatuses – this time,
unlike previous attempts, backed by a two-third majority enabling the Cabinet. It is important
to note that similar attempts could already be observed in the previous years too. In particular,
the second Gyurcsány Cabinet took a number of attempts at strengthening central political
control over apparatuses and policies. However, these efforts, just like most of the previous
ones, were deemed to fail because of the lack of political strength necessary to break through
the built-in barriers against major change.
The broad-scope structural changes having taken place in 2010-2011 can best be understood
in a broader framework characterized by a decisive and successful attempt to get rid of the
extremely status quo oriented system of checks and balances, and to strengthen hierarchical
and political control in all spheres and segments of state organization. This quest for enlarging
the “action radius” of the political executive was however motivated not only by the quest for
power. The extremely harsh external (macroeconomic, financial and social) conditions set,
from 2008 onwards, by the economic crisis and the related requirements of the EU and IMF
with regards to the containment of public deficit and debt posed a serious additional
challenge. Many of reform measures necessitated fundamental constitutional changes or, at
least, involved the adoption by the governing parties with a two-third majority. This series of
reforms resulted, in December 2011, in the adoption of an entirely new constitution. It
involves a range of elements partly extending even beyond the executive branch, a non-
exhaustive, illustrative list of which is given below.
- The ministerial structures underwent far-reaching structural changes, as a result of which

eight integrated ‘superministries’ emerged. At the same time the PMO was re-structured into
a Ministry of Public Administration and Justice (MPAJ) with a broader task portfolio. Within
this larger entity a new one – called, once again, the Prime Minister’s Office – emerged,
exerting control over a number of politically highly salient areas.
- The regional (middle-tier) branches of agencies have been integrated to the 20 county level
(so-called) ‘Government Offices’ strictly controlled and directed by the government and
headed by political appointees (MPs, political state secretaries etc.).
- According to the new Local Government Act (in effect from 2013) local governments’
scope of duties and competencies are dramatically reduced (e.g. many important functions in
the field of operating secondary education and health care facilities will be taken over by the
central government).
- The new civil service legislation put recruitment and hiring of central state administrative
apparatus under strict vertical (administrative and political) control. Recruitment is strictly
controlled by the MPAJ, which is considered, in the case of managerial appointments, as a
veto right enabling its holder to enforce political considerations against
administrative/technical ones. It has been an unknown governmental vertical coordination
measure in the practice up to now. Moreover, although the newly introduced provision
enabling the employer to dismiss the civil servants without any justification was invalidated
by the Constitutional Court, the new regulation assesses the loyalty as an employment
requirement for every civil servant. Being contravened of it might result in dismissal.
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It should be noted that underlying most of the above changes different kinds of justification
appear, oftentimes quite reasonably. For example the – or, rather: some sort of – local
government reform has for long been an urgent task given the debt burden trapping a very
large proportion of local governments as well as the broadening quality and accessibility gaps
of local services they provide.
http://www.cocops.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Hungary-WP3.pdf
Your guideline:
Three levels of public administration
Characteristics of the system between 1990 and 2010
Causes of change in 2010-2011
Changes concerning the three levels of public administration and the civil service
TEXT 2
eGovernment in Hungary
It is an important strategic goal for Hungary to modernize its public administration and to
increase the use of modern information and communication technologies in the interactions
between state institutions themselves as well as between state institutions and citizens.
During the last three years considerable measures have been taken by the Hungarian
government to reform the public administration of the country. The most important results
of these reforms include the reduction of administrative burdens and the simplification of
administrative procedures.
The number of ministries has been reduced from 13 to only 8, and the number of the central
public administration institutions decreased from 649 to around 300. At the same time on the
level of the territorial administration 17 former administrative organs became integrated in the
so called County (or Metropolitan) Government Offices. These changes made it possible to
separate front office and back office functions. The electronic restructuring of the back
office functions began on a standardized basis, in the framework of projects financed by EU
funds.
Another important step towards a less bureaucratic public administration was the setting up of
the system of physical points of single contact since January 2011, these are called
Government Windows. In autumn 2013 there will be altogether 300 physical PSCs in
Hungary. These physical PSCs make it easier for the citizens to personally administer their
affairs. The physical PSCs draw on the electronic solutions available through the central
electronic PSC portal. This suits the general requirement of the eInclusion principle as well.
In April 2012, with the amendment of the Act CXL of 2004 on the General Rules of
Administrative Procedures and Services by the Act CLXXIV of 2011, and the introduction of
the so called regulated electronic administration services, the legal preconditions for
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eGovernment services were established. The new legal framework is open and technology
neutral, hence can better adapt to changing conditions caused by the fast development of ICT
technologies. During the deregulation process around 200 outdated eGovernment-related
regulations have been removed.
Hungary uses European Union co-financed projects to develop the back office and front office
functions of electronic public administration within the framework of the comprehensive New
Széchenyi Plan. These funds are available through the Electronic Administration Operational
Programme (EKOP) and the State Reform Operational Programme (ÁROP).
The institutional framework for eGovernment is based on five main institutions. The Ministry
of Public Administration and Justice is responsible for the legal framework and is also
operating some of the services. The Central Office for Administrative and Electronic Public
Services (KEK KH), a background agency of the Ministry of Public Administration,
maintains the authenticated national registries and is responsible for i.a. issuing official
documents (ID cards, passports, etc.); providing data for public administration bodies, local
municipalities, business sector and citizens; operating the most important systems of the
Hungarian public administration; operating the governmental web portal and other public
administration web pages; providing ICT support for the elections, referenda and national
consultations.
The Ministry of National Development is responsible for the ICT infrastructure development,
state owned National Infocommunications Service Provider Ltd. (NISZ Zrt.), provides full-
scale ICT services for state institutions and authorities, operates the governmental ICT
infrastructure and supports eGovernment solutions. The National Council for
Telecommunications and Informatics (NHIT) is an advisory body operating by the side of the
Government.
e-Signature
Hungary was among the first countries to implement the 1999/93/EC Directive on electronic
signatures in 2001. Nevertheless the technology did not become widespread during the last
decade because single electronic signature certificates were too expensive and the central
system lacked adequate applications and services. To promote the use of the services, the
amendment of the Act XXXV of 2001 on Electronic Signatures created a simpler, more
comfortable and more cost-efficient environment for using e-signatures, and the establishment
of the GOV CA is also on the agenda.
eGovernment applications
The most important eGovernment application in Hungary is the Client Gate (Ügyfélkapu)
(https://ugyfelkapu.magyarorszag.hu/), which is the official central electronic administration
web portal of the country. The Client Gate account can be opened personally e.g. at any office
of the National Tax and Customs Administration, at any e-administration front office, or
online if one possesses a qualified digital signature. After confirming the registration via e-
mail the Client Gate can be used for administration and communication with the authorities.
Certain administrative procedures can be administered entirely online via the Client Gate (e.g.
the annual tax declaration), and it is possible to fix an appointment for the physical one-stop-
151
shop as well, and to launch the administration of 80 different type of procedures. The fully
online services of the Client Gate include:
• services for employers and employees

• personal annual tax declaration and company tax declaration
• VAT declaration
• company registration
• statistical data provision
• customs declaration
• e-Procurement
• permissions related to environment protection
Client Gate has more than 1 million registered users, who logged in 250 million times in the
last 3 years and downloaded about 700 million pages. More than two thousand forms are
available for download, with tax declaration, notification, account services, healthcare and
social status and company registry inquiries being the most popular.
Another important eGovernment solution is the e-Statement (eBeszámoló – http://e-

beszamolo.kim.gov.hu) service for companies and enterprises to upload the compulsory
annual statement of financial position (balance sheet). The uploaded balance sheets are
available for free viewing via the web portal, and they are also made available for the
National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary, as well as for the National
Development Agency which handles EU funds in Hungary. This service is very successful
and popular as it considerably reduces administrative burdens, and costs for both sides.
Other significant eGovernment solutions include the e-Company Registry (http://www.e-

cegjegyzek.hu/), e-Justice (small claims procedure, electronic judicial file, electronic delivery
of judicial documents and files), the authenticated electronic version of the Hungarian Official
Journal (www.magyarkozlony.hu), and the Standardized Central File and Document
Management System (EKEIDR), which enables the ministries and authorities to exchange
documents in an authenticated electronic way.
Your guideline:
Structural simplification
Legal and institutional framework of eGovernment
e-Signature
2.2.2 Notetaking
While listening to the other group's presentation, complete the notes below.
Finally pair up with somebody from the other group and check whether you have taken
appropriate notes. Make any corrections if necessary.
Public Sector Reform in Hungary

152
Three levels of public administration
Characteristics of the system between 1990 and 2010
Causes of change in 2010-2011
Changes concerning the three levels of public administration
Changes concerning the civil service
e-Government in Hungary
Structural simplification
Legal and institutional framework of eGovernment
e-Signature
3) Public finances
3.1 Video
Watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwv0aWXKujk) made for

(Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific) on public
finance management.
153
While watching, complete a gapped summary of the Public Finance Management cycle.
Public Finance Management Cycle
1) The aim of finance management both in a family and in a country is to

_______________ resources efficiently to _______________ all needs. As regards
budgeting and spending in a family, the parents’ combined _______________ constitutes
the _______________ asset from which money can be _______________ to meet the
needs of the family members. In the case of Public Finance Management, government
sources include _______________, loans and _______________ from various donors.
The three goals of PFM are the efficient allocation of _______________, which involves
_______________ when and where resources should go, the _______________ of income
to different income levels and _______________ and macroeconomic stabilization
through the sound management of resources ensuring overall _______________
_______________.
2)
Planning Budgeting Managing Performance

expenditure assessment
needs _______________ _______________ _______________

and allocation of of the budget and spending in relation
_______________ resources to priorities and
_______________ goals
strategies of goods and
services
_______________
3) Citizens should participate in Public Finance Management as on the one hand the
government manages part of citizens’ _______________ through taxes and on the other
hand citizens are the ultimate _______________ of Public Finance Management.
Participatory planning ensures the better _______________ of needs and prioritization of
programmes, while budget monitoring gives _______________ on which needs are not
154
being sufficiently met. Participatory expenditure _______________ looks at the

implementation of programmes and _______________ of services and procurement
_______________ enables citizens to participate in the _______________ and
_______________ of contracts. Participatory performance assessment makes it possible to
hold government _______________. All this means that the relationship between citizens
and government is of a _______________ character, in other words every citizen is a
direct _______________ in Public Finance Management.
3.2 Statistics
Describe these diagrams on different aspects of public finances.

If you can, provide explanations of the situation and tendencies they show.
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/hungary/government-budget
Public Sector spending in the UK in 2013-14 broken down by function.
Each bubble is proportional to the amount spent under each function in 2013-14.
155
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339324/Public_Spendin
g_Statistics_July_2014_consolidated_revised.pdf
3.3 The budget cycle
Study the diagram illustrating the budget cycle and read the explanatory notes.
Where do lawyers play an important role in this process?
The Budget Cycle
The budget cycle consists of three main stages:
1. Budget Preparation or Formulation where government objectives are translated into

budgets and appropriations. The budget preparation process includes comparisons
with previous year budgets, actuals and outcomes. Multiple year budgets are typically
prepared because many initiatives and programs require many years before results can
be effectively measured. There are often multiple budget proposals prior to legislative
approval and the creation of the Budget Law.
2. Budget Execution represents public financial management functions that are budget-
centric and are not accounted in traditional accounting. This includes up to two levels
of commitments or encumbrances that sets aside funds from the budget. It also
includes adjusting budgets to reflect macroeconomic changes, cash availability,
forecasted budget variance and unexpected needs. Budget funds are transferred based
on government legal requirements.
156
3. Financial Management and Reporting represents the public financial management

functions that are typically supported by traditional private sector accounting. Revenue
and expenditures are accounted for in the appropriate ledgers. Revenue and
Expenditures are accrued if the government is using a form of accrual accounting.
Government cheques and electronic funds transfers are supported.
http://www.freebalance.com/blog/?m=200905
3.4 Adopting the budget act
The adoption of the budget act differs from the normal legslative procedure in a number of
ways.
First go back to the unit on Parliament and Legislation and revise the Hungarian legislative
process.
Then describe the procedure of adopting the budget act.
157
http://www.parlament.hu/fotitkar/tvalk/k
158
oltsegvetes.jpg
4) Just for fun
Strange decrees
Read this text about weird decrees adopted in South Korea.

Do you know of any strange decrees adopted at any level of the system of public
administration in Hungary?
The 6 Strangest Decrees of the North Korean Government
North Korea has a reputation of being both mysterious and absurd. This is mainly down to the
nation’s dictatorial regime and Kim Jong-un’s isolationist policies. In order to strengthen
authoritarian rule, North Korean leaders have continued to issue strange decrees that control
the public from head to toe and curb their desires for individuality and a view of the outside
world. Here are some of these decrees:
1) Men in Pyongyang can only have Kim Jong Un-style haircuts
The U.K. tabloid Mirror reported about two weeks ago that the North
Korean government announced that all Pyongyang men must have hair
styled after the “handsome” Kim Jong-un. The command was soon after
extended to the entire country.
2) Women cannot have “foreign” hairstyles
Chinese newspaper Reference News reported in 2009, the Korean Youth

League Central Committee launched a campaign on hairstyles aimed at
the purpose of tidying up the appearance of the nation. The campaign opposed “foreign”
hairstyles and required that, “men should have short hair and women should tie back their
long hair,” in order to, “keep their hair clean and simple for the Korean spirit and the
establishment of a healthy lifestyle.”
Allegedly, the campaign began when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il saw a female shop
clerk with a “foreign” hairstyle. He objected to her hairstyle, saying, “Is she really a North
Korean woman? Why would she give up our own traditional beauty and instead choose the
bad habit of imitating foreign capitalism?” However, this is already old news. The photo
describing the 18 kinds of hairstyles for women is only a reference point and women can have
other hairstyles along those guidelines.
3) Women cannot display their curves
In 2009, DPRK newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that DPRK leader Kim Jong Il said the
nation would take steps to clean up the clothing and hairstyles of young women and students.
159
Women must wear skirts that cover their knees, wear tights and wear clothes that do not
reveal the curves of their body. The goal of the campaign was supposedly to establish a more
healthy lifestyle and spirit for the people.
4) The people cannot say the leader’s name
An article by Legal Weekend reporter Li Xing published in 2011 described his experiences in
North Korea. He said when he arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong, an officer in
charge of border control introduced him to a few of the rules in North Korea.
One of these rules is that when one addresses Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il they must use
“Chairman,” and “General,” respectively. These titles must not be mixed up. If you can’t
remember the title then you can use, “Leader,” for the president and general.
This information was spread on Chinese internet forums. North Korea also asked the China
media and the people not to use the names of the North Korean leaders.
5) When you take a picture of the leader, you have to include his whole body
In the same article mentioned above, the reporter wrote that when pictures are taken of the
North Korean memorial statue the photo must include the statue’s entire body. In addition,
photos cannot be taken of the military. DPRK regulations also stipulate that foreign tourists
are not allowed to take any photos while in the country.
On their return home, visitor’s cameras are inspected by soldiers and if irregularities are
discovered the photos will be deleted.
6) In the face of disaster, defending the civil leaders is the nation’s top priority
The sacred statues of the leaders are more important than the lives of the people. On July 21,
2008, the official newspaper of the DPRK Worker’s Party Worker’s News published an
article outlining the rules of conduct for DPRK citizens in the face of natural disasters.
The authors of the article wrote that DPRK citizens should remember that in the event of an
earthquake or large natural disaster the first thing citizens must do is try to protect the
portraits, statues, busts and other art work depicting the North Korean leaders.
Source: ifeng.com
http://www.echinacities.com/china-media/The-6-Strangest-Decrees-of-the-North-Korean-Government
You are going to work with an article that was published on
at http://www.penzugyiszemle.hu/interju/mukodesi-egyensulyra-kell-torekedni-ez-a-jo-
onkormanyzati-gazdalkodas-alapja.
160
First translate the introductory part.
Then create a summary of one part of it in English.
Finally form a group with students who worked with the other parts of the article and deliver
your summaries in turn.
5.1 Translation
Translate the introductory part.
Interjú
Működési egyensúlyra kell törekedni, ez a jó önkormányzati

gazdálkodás alapja
Az Állami Számvevőszék (ÁSZ) fókuszterületként tekint az

önkormányzati rendszerre, a 2011-ben elkezdett rendszerszerű
ellenőrzések egyik célja az alrendszer pénzügyi-gazdálkodási
kockázatainak azonosítása volt. A számvevőszéki jelentések javaslatokat fogalmaztak
meg, amikre az ÁSZ-törvény előírásának megfelelően intézkedési tervek születtek. Idén
is tovább folytatódott az önkormányzatok pénzügyi-gazdálkodási helyzetének
ellenőrzése, az ellenőrzések céljairól, tapasztalatairól Renkó Zsuzsannát, az ÁSZ
felügyeleti vezetőjét kérdeztük.
Vasvári Tamás
5.2 Summary
Four extracts are taken from the rest of the article.
Choose one of them and give a summary of it. Use the questions as guiding points.
Extract one
Mi indokolta az önkormányzati szektor nagyszabású, reprezentatív felmérését 2011-

ben?
2011-ben az ÁSZ új szemléletben fogott hozzá az önkormányzati ellenőrzésekhez, ami

egyben új módszertan bevezetését is jelentette, amit a korábbi gyakorlattól függetlenül
alakítottunk ki. Ezt az indokolta, hogy 2011-re nyilvánvaló vált, hogy az önkormányzatok
pénzügyi helyzete oly mértékben romlott, illetve hosszú távú kötelezettségvállalásuk, azaz
adósságállományuk oly mértékben megnőtt, hogy ezzel foglalkozni kellett. Ezért egy olyan
ellenőrzési programot dolgoztunk ki, amelynek segítségével azonosítani tudtuk azokat a
pénzügyi kockázatokat és okokat, amik ide vezettek. Célunk az volt, hogy ne csak az egyes
önkormányzatok szintjén, hanem a teljes önkormányzati szektorra vonatkozóan fogalmazzunk
161
meg megállapításokat, javaslatokat. Ehhez elengedhetetlen volt, hogy az ellenőrzésbe kerülő

önkormányzatok reprezentálják a teljes sokaságot, azaz a teljes önkormányzati alrendszert.
Hogyan sikerült biztosítani a reprezentativitást?
Először is azt vettük alapul, hogy a 2010. év végi 1247 milliárd Ft önkormányzati
adósságállomány hogyan oszlik meg az egyes önkormányzat típusok között. Azt tapasztaltuk,
hogy a megyék, a megyei jogú városok és a városok rendelkeznek az adósságállomány
jelentős részével, 71%-ával. Ha ezen önkormányzatokra tudunk általános megállapítást tenni,
akkor tulajdonképpen a szektor egészére fogalmazunk meg javaslatokat. A megyei, valamint a
megyei jogú városi önkormányzatoknál kivétel nélkül lefolytattuk az ellenőrzést, a városok
esetében pedig egy 63 önkormányzatból álló, reprezentatív mintát vettünk. Mivel minél
teljesebb képet szerettünk volna kapni, ezért a nem ellenőrzött több mint 240 városi
önkormányzattól bekértük ugyanazon adatokat, amiket az ellenőrzött önkormányzatoktól, és
azokat is felhasználtuk az elemzések során.
Budapest és a fővárosi kerületek is jelentős részt képviselnek az önkormányzati

adósságon belül. Végeztek ebből a szempontból ellenőrzéseket a fővárosban?
A bemutatott ellenőrzésekkel párhuzamosan folyt a Fővárosi Önkormányzat egy másik típusú

ellenőrzése, aminek során az új módszertan szellemében elvégeztük a pénzügyi-gazdálkodási
helyzet értékelését is. Ezzel az adósságállomány 84%-át felhalmozó önkormányzatok
ellenőrzése alapján tudtunk általános megállapításokat megfogalmazni.
A korábban alkalmazott módszertanhoz képest mi változott az új szemléletben?
2011-et megelőzően tulajdonképpen csak szabályszerűségi ellenőrzéseket folytattunk, tehát

arra fókuszáltunk, hogy az önkormányzat működése, gazdálkodása a jogszabályoknak
megfelel-e. Ehhez képest 2011-ben a fennálló kockázatokat szerettük volna azonosítani: nem
csak arra voltunk kíváncsiak, hogy rossz-e a pénzügyi helyzet, hanem arra is, hogy mi vezetett
ide. Ehhez a CLF-módszert használtuk. A módszer lényege legjobban a háztartásunk példáján
keresztül szemléltethető. Külön kell választanunk a mindennapi kiadásokat (azaz a működést)
és a nagyobb beruházásokat (felhalmozás): ha a fizetésünkből minden kiadásunkat (ideértve a
hiteltörlesztést is) teljesítettük, a fennmaradó pénzeszközök felhasználhatóak beruházásra.
Tehát, ha az önkormányzatoknak nem marad pénzük a mindennapi kiadásaikon felül, akkor
nem lesz megfelelő fedezet beruházásra, sőt, mindez működési hitel felvételéhez vezethet.
Belátható, hogy ez esetben a beruházások hitelfelvételből való finanszírozása sem megoldás,
hiszen az a hiteltörlesztésen és további kiadásokon (pl. kamat) keresztül tovább terheli a
működési költségvetést.
Hangsúlyoznom kell azonban, hogy a hitelfelvétel önmagában véve nem rossz. A hitelfelvétel
akkor rossz, ha nem tudjuk visszafizetni, és végső soron adósságspirálhoz vezet. Azonban a
legtöbb fejlesztés elképzelhetetlen hitelfelvétel nélkül, és nem az a cél, hogy az
önkormányzatok ne fejlesszenek. A hitel visszafizetésére elsősorban a rendszeres működési
jövedelemnek kell fedezetül szolgálnia: ha az önkormányzat működési költségvetésében van
elegendő tartalék a hitel visszafizetésére, akkor a hitel jó megoldás lehet.
Extract two
162
Hogyan vizsgáztak az önkormányzatok, illetve az önkormányzati rendszer? Mik voltak

a főbb megállapítások?
A megállapításokat tekintve négy főbb kockázati csoportot azonosítottunk, amik számos

kockázatot tartalmaztak. Ezek közül voltak olyanok, amik szinte minden önkormányzatnál
megfigyelhetőek, tehát általános érvényűek voltak. A működési kockázatok esetén ki kell
emelni az alacsony működési jövedelem-termelő képességet, azaz az önkormányzatok nem
rendelkeznek elégséges működési bevétellel, ami működési kiadásaik fedezetéül szolgálhat.
Ugyancsak működéssel kapcsolatos probléma az önként vállalt feladatok által jelentett terhek:
a működési kiadások mintegy ötöde önként vállalt feladatokhoz kapcsolódott, ami gazdasági
tartalékot jelent, azonban azok kihasználására (pl. az önként vállalt feladatok átadására vagy
leépítésére) sok esetben nincs mód (pl. az EU-s beruházások fenntartási időszaka alatt), vagy
nincs meg az elégséges döntéshozói akarat. A problémát nehezíti, hogy a korábbi és az új
önkormányzati törvény sem határozza meg pontosan, hogy mi kötelező önkormányzati
feladat. Pozitív változás azonban, hogy az új államháztartási törvény értelmében a kiadásokat
kötelező és önként vállalt feladatcsoportonként is be kell mutatni.
Bár működéssel kapcsolatos, de a felhalmozási kockázatokat is érinti az új - beruházással

létrejövő - létesítmények fenntartása. Ezek többsége ugyanis nem bevételt termel, hanem
többletkiadást okoz az önkormányzatok számára. Így a hitelből finanszírozott beruházások
halmozott problémát jelenthetnek, ami sokszor nagyon nehéz helyzethez vezet: a
hiteltörlesztés és a kapcsolódó kamat jelentette terheken felül a működési jövedelemnek a
létesítmény jövőbeni fenntartását is fedeznie kell, ráadásul a beruházások sokszor önként
vállalt feladathoz kapcsolódnak. Biztató, hogy az önkormányzati hitelfelvételt korlátozó,
egyes esetekben engedélyhez kötő új szabályozás már előírja, hogy az önkormányzati
költségvetésnek elégséges tartalékkal kell rendelkeznie, hogy az üzemeltetési időszak
kiadásait fedezni tudja.
Az ellenőrzések legnagyobb tanulsága, hogy a felhalmozási kockázatok, azaz a beruházások,

ezen belül paradox módon az Európai Unió által támogatott beruházások voltak azok,
amelyek a jelenlegi kifeszített helyzethez vezettek. Hozzá kell tenni azonban, hogy a szektor
mindig is jelentős beruházó volt: a felhalmozási kiadások reálértéken 1990 óta alig
növekedtek, csupán annak finanszírozása változott. Fontos azt is hangsúlyozni, hogy az olyan
projektek, amelyek működtetése a későbbiekben „veszteséges", csak addig a néhány évig jár
gazdaságélénkítő hatással, amíg maga a beruházás zajlik, és kereslet jelentkezik a helyi
vállalkozások szolgáltatásaira. A későbbiekben az általa „termelt" működési hiány a
gazdaságra hosszú távon kedvezőtlen hatással van. Erre mindenképpen figyelemmel kell lenni
az új támogatási programok kidolgozásánál, egyúttal ajánlott a létesítmények létrehozása
esetén a gazdasági fenntarthatóság mint követelmény
előírása.
A pénzintézetekkel szemben fennálló kötelezettségek a

2010. évben 2007-hez képest önkormányzat típusonként
differenciáltan - a fővárosnál 8,8%-kal, a megyei
önkormányzatoknál 143%-kal, a megyei jogú városoknál
100%-kal és a városoknál 92%-kal -, összességében
77,7%-kal növekedtek. A devizában való eladósodás
előtérbe kerülése miatt 2010-től a kötelezettségek
163
állománya növekedésében az elszámolt árfolyamveszteség volt a meghatározó.
A negyedik fő kockázatot az önkormányzati tulajdonban lévő gazdasági társaságok

működése, kötelezettségvállalása jelentette. Az önkormányzatoknak ugyanis lehetősége van
ellátandó feladataikat a tulajdonukban lévő gazdasági társaságokba kiszervezni, azonban e
társaságok teljesítményét vagyonát és különösen kötelezettségvállalásait nem mutatják ki
konszolidáltan az önkormányzatok beszámolójában. Ellenőrzéseink során nagymértékű
egyensúlytalanságokat tapasztaltunk, e társaságok ugyanis sok esetben jelentős
adósságállományt halmoztak fel. Ez - az önkormányzat mint tulajdonos felelősségén és
kezességvállalásain keresztül - jelentős kockázatot jelent az egyes önkormányzatok és az
államháztartás számára, ami ráadásul összevontan, szektorszinten a jelenlegi számviteli
szabályok szerint nem is számszerűsíthető.
Extract three
Kinek szóltak és mik voltak az ÁSZ főbb javaslatai?
Az önkormányzati ellenőrzések során az ÁSZ a javaslatait mindig a polgármesternek és a

jegyzőnek teszi. Jelen esetben ezek elsősorban a kockázatok kezelésére vonatkoztak. Amelyik
önkormányzatnál működési kockázatot állapítottunk meg, azaz egyszerűen nincs elegendő
forrás a kiadások fedezetére, javasoltuk, hogy tárják fel a bevételnövelő és kiadáscsökkentő
lehetőségeket, és azokat rendszeresen terjesszék a képviselőtestület elé. Ezen túlmenően
javasoltuk, hogy készítsenek az önkormányzatok reorganizációs programot, aminek
segítségével pénzügyi problémáikat koncepcionálisan, átfogóan áttekinthetik és kezelhetik.
Javasoltuk, hogy vizsgálják felül méretgazdaságossági szempontok alapján az intézmény-
struktúrát. Ahol pedig az önként vállalt feladatok jelentettek magas kockázatot, ott javasoltuk
e feladatok áttekintését, újragondolását.
A felhalmozási kockázatok kezelése érdekében az érintett önkormányzatoknak javasoltuk a

tervezett és folyamatban lévő beruházások áttekintését és újragondolását finanszírozhatóság
és fenntarthatóság szempontjából. Nemfizetési kockázatok észlelése esetén tartalékképzést
javasoltunk, ami azt jelentené, hogy az önkormányzat a plusz bevételeit egy tartalékalapba
teszi. Ez a tartalék fedezetet biztosít a kiadásokra abban az esetben, ha az önkormányzat
tervezett bevételei nem teljesülnek, vagy ha a kiadások, például az árfolyamváltozás miatt a
törlesztési kötelezettségek növekednek. Ez kiszámíthatóvá és egyben rugalmassá is teszi a
gazdálkodást. Mindezen információk mellett javasoltuk, hogy a képviselőtestületet átfogóan
és rendszeresen (félévente, negyedévente, vagy akár havonta) tájékoztassák az önkormányzat
pénzügyi helyzetéről.
Ahol pedig kockázatokat tapasztaltunk gazdasági társaságokkal kapcsolatban, folyamatos

monitoringot és a képviselőtestületi tájékoztatást javasoltunk, hiszen e társaságok
teljesítménye árnyékként vetül az önkormányzat pénzügyi helyzetére.
Az önkormányzatok szintjén hogyan hasznosulnak az ÁSZ javaslatai?
Az önkormányzatoknak a javaslatok alapján tételes intézkedési tervet kell kialakítaniuk, az

ÁSZ pedig utóellenőrzések során ellenőrzi az intézkedési javaslatok végrehajtását. Az ÁSZ
hangsúlyozza, hogy véget ért a következmények nélküli ellenőrzések időszaka, ennek
jegyében már el is kezdtünk egy átfogó utóellenőrzést, aminek során azt ellenőrizzük, hogy az
164
intézkedési tervekben foglaltakat végrehajtották-e, és amennyiben igen, az milyen

eredményeket hozott. Elsősorban a megtett javaslatok hasznosulására fókuszálunk és
kimutatjuk, hogy mennyire voltak hatékonyak az önkormányzatok által tett lépések. A
pénzügyi egyensúly megteremtéséhez ugyanis a szektor jogszabályi reformja mellett
önkormányzati erőfeszítések is szükségesek, azaz hogy az önkormányzatok felelősséggel és
transzparensen gazdálkodjanak.
Extract four
Az új önkormányzati törvény értelmében nem tervezhető működési hiány az

önkormányzati költségvetésben. Mi tapasztaltak ezzel kapcsolatban az ellenőrzött
önkormányzatoknál?
Először is le kell szögezni, hogy a törvény erre vonatkozó rendelkezése nagyon előremutató:
ugyanis - ahogy korábban is említettem - elsősorban működési egyensúlyra kell törekedni, ez
a jó önkormányzati gazdálkodás alapja. Azonban ez egyelőre több ellenőrzött önkormányzat
számára nehézséget jelent, ami érthető, hiszen 2013 az első év, az átmenet éve, amikor meg
kell felelni az új szabályoknak. Az ÁSZ ezért minden esetben felhívja olyan bevételi elemekre
a figyelmet, amik a költségvetésben nem tervezhetőek (például szerkezetátalakítási tartalék).
Mik a tapasztalatok az önkormányzati hitelfelvétellel kapcsolatban? Vettek fel az

ellenőrzött önkormányzatok hitelt amióta új szabályozás van erre vonatkozóan
érvényben?
Az ellenőrzött önkormányzatok esetében nem volt példa arra, hogy 2012 után - amióta a
hitelfelvétel során a gazdasági stabilitási törvényben foglaltakra kell figyelemmel lenni -
kormányzati engedélyhez kötött hitelt vettek volna fel.
Tervez az ÁSZ további önkormányzatoknál ilyen típusú ellenőrzést?
Az ÁSZ tevékenységében továbbra is hangsúlyos marad az önkormányzatok ellenőrzése.

2013-ban a pénzügyi gazdálkodási helyzet ellenőrzése mellett zajlik az önkormányzati
vagyongazdálkodás, a belső kontrollok, valamint az önkormányzati tulajdonú vállalatok
ellenőrzése is, hiszen jelentéseinket és megállapításainkat jelentős érdeklődés övezi. Ennek
oka, hogy az emberek életminőségét nagyban befolyásolja, hogy miként teljesít lakóhelyének
önkormányzata - az ÁSZ-nak pedig kiemelt célja, hogy a jó kormányzás elősegítésén
keresztül javítson az állampolgárok mindennapi életminőségén.
5.3 Oral summary
Form a group with three other students who have each worked with a different part of the
article. Give your summaries in turn so that in the end you will have a clear picture of the
whole.

165
Public administration
access to sth fn elérés, hozzáférés vmhez
accessibility fn hozzáférhetőség
1 fn (a) egyetértés, összhang, egyezés (b) megegyezés,

accord egyezség 2 ige (a) adományoz, nyújt (b) összeegyeztet,
összehangol
accrue ige növekszik, felhalmozódik
actuals fn ténylges források, kiadások, tényadatok
advocate for ige támogat, helyesel
aid 1 fn segítség, segély 2 ige segít, segélyez
alert 1 fn riadó, készültség 2 ige riaszt
allocation fn elosztás, szétosztás, juttatás, kiutalás
amenities fn jó életminőséget biztosító szolgáltatások
annul ige hatálytalanít, megsemmisít
appointee fn kinevezett
appropriation fn költségvetési előirányzat
archive fn irattár, archívum
assert one’s rights ige kinyilvánítja, fenntartja, érvényre juttatja jogait
assessment fn értékelés, felbecsülés
attributed to mn vmnek tulajdonított
audit fn könyvvizsgálat
award ige odaítél, megítél (pl. pénzt)
balance ige egyenlegbe, egyensúlyba hoz
barrier fn akadály, korlátozás
bid 1 fn ajánlattétel, licitálás 2 ige ajánlatot tesz
166
block ige megakaszt, gátol
border control fn határellenőrzés
broad-scope mn széleskörű, széles hatóterületű
burden 1 fn teher 2 ige megerhel
bust fn mellszobor
cause 1 fn (a) ok (b) ügy 2 ige okoz
certification fn tanúsítás, hitelesítés, igazolás
fn gondoskodás, szolgálat, ügyelet

charge
• gondjaiba vesz vmt, átveszi az irányítást (az ügyek
• take charge of
intézését)
checks and balances fn fékek és ellensúlyok
civil servant fn köztisztviselő
civil service fn közszolgálat
co-funding fn társfinanszírozás
cohabitation fn együttélés
commercial mn kereskedelmi
commitment fn kötelezettség, elkötelezettség
compensatory seat fn kompenzációs listáról szerzett mandátum
complainant fn panaszos
comply with ige megfelel vmnek, összhangban van vmvel
concern ige érint, vonatkozik vmre
conformity fn összhang
• in comformity with • vmvel összhangban

consideration fn (a) megfontolás (b) ellenszolgáltatás
constitute ige alkot
contravene ige megsért (törvényt, szabályt)
convince ige meggyőz
167
cope with ige megbirkózik vmvel
crucial mn döntő, kritikus
curb ige megfékez, féken tart
deem ige tart, ítél, vél, gondol
deficiency fn hiány, hiányosság
dense mn sűrű
depict ige leír, lerajzol
designate ige kijelöl
destined to sth mn vmre szánt, vmre ítélt
devolution fn hatáskörátruházás
dire mn szörnyű, borzalmas
disaster fn katasztrófa, szerencsétlenség
discipline fn fegyelem
disclosure fn nyilvánosságra hozatal
dismiss ige elbocsát
distribute ige szétoszt, terjeszt
distribution fn szétosztás, felosztás
donor fn adományozó
earnings fn kereset
earthquake fn földrengés
effectuate ige foganatosít, végrehajt
emerge ige felbukkan, kibontakozik
emission fn kibocsátás, kiáramlás
encounter ige szembekerül, találkozik
encumbrance fn teher, megterhelés, jelzálog
168
enshrine ige rögzít, védelmez
entail ige maga után von, magával hoz, együttjár, velejár
entrust sth to sb ige gondjaira bíz, rábíz vkre vmt
fn (a) alapítás, létrehozás (b) üzleti vállalkozás, intézmény,

establishment
szervezet (c) uralkodó réteg, fennálló hatalmi rendszer
evolve ige kialakul, kifejlődik
exert ige alkalmaz, használ, kifejt, gyakorol
exhaustive mn kimerítő
expansion fn kiterjesztés, kiterjedés, bővülés
extend ige kiterjeszt, kiterjed
extent fn mérték, terjedelem
facilities fn (a) (tárgyi) lehetőség (b) gyártelep, intézmény
failure fn (a) meghiúsulás, bukás (b) mulasztás
far-reaching mn széles körű, nagy horderejű
field office fn területi iroda
file fn akta
fragmented mn darabokra tört, széttagolt
funding fn finanszírozás
geared to mn vmtől függővé tett
guideline fn vezetősor, irányelv
guidelines fn irányelv(ek)
henceforth hsz ezután, ezentúl
hinge on ige illeszkedik vmhez, függ vmtől
immense mn óriási, hatalmas
inauguration fn beiktatás
infringement fn jogsértés
169
injunction fn ideiglenes intézkedés, felfüggesztő végzés
insurance fn biztosítás
invalidate ige érvénytelenít
inventor fn feltaláló
irregularity fn rendellenesség
issue ige kibocsát
justification fn igazolás, indoklás
ledger fn (a) főkönyv (b) nyilvántartás
likewise hsz hasonlóképpen
loan fn kölcsön(összeg)
loss fn veszteség
maladministration fn hivatali visszaélés
manufacturer fn gyártó
measure fn intézkedés
necessitate ige szükségessé tesz, megkövetel
notify ige értesít
objection fn tiltakozás, kifogás
obligation fn kötelem, kötelezettség
obtain ige szerez, kap
opt for sth ige választ vmt, dönt vm mellett
outcome fn (vég)eredmény, következmény
outlet fn megnyilvánulási alkalom, lehetőség
outline 1 fn vázlat 2 ige körvonalaz, felvázol
overarching mn átfogó
oversee ige felügyel, ellenőriz
170
oversight fn felügyelet (végrehajtó hatalom felett)
performance fn teljesítés, teljesítmény
piggybank fn malacpersely
pose ige felvet, felhoz
prerogative fn előjog, kiváltság
prevent sb from ige megakadályoz vkt vm megtételében
prioritize ige rangsorol, fontossági sorrendet állít fel
procurement fn beszerzés
proliferation fn elburjánzás
promotion fn előléptetés
public finance fn államháztartás
pursuant to hsz vmnek megfelelően
quest for sth fn keresés, kutatás vm után
raise ige (a) felemel (b) előteremt, szerez, összegyűjt
reason ige megindokol
recovery fn (a) visszazserzés (b) helyreállítás
recruit ige toboroz
redress 1 fn jóvátétel, helyrehozás 2 ige jóvátesz, helyrehoz
regional development fn regionális fejlesztés
reimbursement fn visszatérítés, megtérítés
reliant mn bízó, bizalommal levő, vkre/vmre szoruló,
relieve ige enyhít, könnyít, mérsékel, tehermentesít
remunerate ige díjaz
reservation fn fenntartás
resort to sth ige igénybe vesz,folyamodik vmhez
171
retain ige visszatart, fenntart
retention fn fenntartás, visszatatrtás
revert ige visszaszáll, visszaháramlik, visszatér
sacred mn szent
salient mn szembetűnő, kiemelkedő, feltűnő
set aside ige félretesz
shift 1 fn változás, váltás, csere 2 ige változtat, cserél, vált
signatory fn és mn aláíró
simplification fn egyszerűsítés
spatial development fn területfejlesztés
spatial planning fn területrendezés
stakeholder fn érdekelt személy
State Audit Office fn HU Állami Számvevőszék
streamline ige korszerűsít, racionalizál
strike a balance ige struck, struck/stricken egyenleget von
subcontractor fn alvállalkozó
subordinate fn besoztott, alárendelt
successive mn egymást követő
supervision fn felügyelet, ellenőrzés
sweeping mn széles, mélyreható, elsöprő
tenure of office fn hivatali/szolgálati idő
town clerk fn US, GB városi (fő)jegyző
tracking fn követés, nyomkövetés
trap 1 fn csapda, kelepce 2 ige csapdába ejt
treaty fn (államközi) egyezmény, szerződés
172
uneven mn egyenetlen
variance fn eltérés, ellentmondás
vest in ige átruház, átszáll vkre/vmre
UNIT 7 REVISION
The difference between the right

word and the almost right word is
the difference between lightning
and the lightning bug.
(Mark Twain)
http://linguacast.ncl.ac.uk/v4/pages/rev_intro.htm
1) Reading: Elections
Read the article on Barack Obama's campaign and do the attached exercises.
1.1 This article is about lessons that future candidates can learn from Barack Obama's
campaign. These 'lessons' are taken out from the text.
Put them back into the relevant gaps:
• Delivering a strategic, disciplined message

• A campaign must raise the resources it needs to win.
• Being authentic
• Actively involving people in your campaign
Jeff Blodgett: Four lessons from Barack Obama’s campaign for future candidates
173
So what can future progressive candidates learn from Barack Obama's candidacy and
Presidential campaign that can help them win elections too? There are at least four important
lessons for any candidate no matter what the seat:
1) _______________________________________________________________
An authentic candidate is one whose words ring true to voters because they match up with
what they know of the candidate. Barack Obama was authentic to voters. As a new figure on
the scene, his campaign was a model for how you can use your life story and the values you
hold dear to introduce and define yourself on your terms to voters. So when he talked about
change, breaking from the politics as usual, and restoring middle class prosperity, voters
believed him - because he communicated his life story and his values in a way that was in
alignment with this message.
2) _______________________________________________________________
Successful campaigns combine an authentic candidacy with a disciplined, focused, strategic

message. The Obama campaign believed from the beginning that this election was about the
economy and the desire for economic change, and they stuck to it throughout.
3) _______________________________________________________________
It's called field organizing - the art and science of turning supporters into active, connected
volunteers and organizing them to systematically go out and
talk to and persuade voters. The Obama campaign took this
work to unprecedented levels with their effective
mobilization of millions of committed supporters. The
campaign built an extraordinary technology platform that
supported this organizing four ways: tying people tightly
together with the campaign through e-mail and an on-line
community; managing the huge volunteer and data
operation on-line and through its website; giving volunteers on-line tools for their direct voter
contact work; and raising the resources to fund this operation.
4) _______________________________________________________________
In Obama's case, his millions of donors giving unprecedented amounts of money flowed from
the kind of candidate he was - authentic and inspirational - and the kind of campaign he ran -
actively involving millions and employing groundbreaking e-fundraising. This fundraising
allowed him to compete where and when he needed and build his massive organization.
http://www.wellstone.org/blog/jeff-blodgett-four-lessons-barack-obamas-campaign-future-candidates
1.2 Read the text again and find the expressions that match the following definitions.
174
1. bringing back a situation that existed before ______________________________

2. in harmony with ______________________________
3. clearly directed at one specific aim ______________________________
4. adhered to ______________________________
5. people who do a job without being paid for it and out of their own will
______________________________
6. that has never happened or been known before ______________________________
7. collecting the money one needs ______________________________
8. collecting money through the internet ______________________________
2) Vocabulary work
2.1 Local governance
2.1.1 What is local government?
Do this gap-fill exercise which gives an answer to this question.
What is local government?
Local government is one way in which the country’s g_______________ and

a_______________ is carried out, and its p_______________ s_______________ delivered.
Two features distinguish local government from other local service p_______________–
most local authorities are e_______________ and most have the ability to raise
t_______________ locally.
Local authorities are statutory bodies created by A_______________ of P_______________.

They are not a_______________ to Parliament as they are directly elected by their local
communities. Local authorities, their members and the administrative units supporting them
have a number of o_______________, amongst which are delivering national objectives
l_______________ using national and local r_______________ to meet the diverse
requirements of different neighbourhoods and communities.
The style and constitutional arrangements under which local government o_______________
have changed and are still changing. Traditionally local government was about the
d_______________ of a range of services. Over time, more and more of these services have
been delivered by outside agencies and the role of local government has changed as a result.
175
In 2000, the current government redefined the core purpose of local government as
community l_______________.
What local government does
Local government delivers a wide range of services either d_______________ through its
employees, indirectly by employing others or by f_______________ delivery by other bodies.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/316772/LGFS24_web_e
dition.pdf
2.1.2 What is its system of finance?
Do this gap-fill exercise which gives an answer to this question.
System of finance
Local authorities in Great Britain (but not in Northern Ireland) raise _______________ from:
• central government _______________, which finance about 85% of spending;

• non-domestic _______________;
• the council _______________; and
• fees and charges.
Non-domestic _______________ are a tax on the _______________ of non-domestic
property. The rateable value of property is assessed by reference to annual rents and
_______________ every five years. In England and Wales the non-domestic
_______________ is set nationally by central government and _______________ by local
authorities. It is paid into a national _______________ and _______________ to local
authorities in _______________ to their population. In Scotland non-domestic rates are levied
by local authorities. In Northern Ireland _______________ are not _______________ on
industrial premises or on commercial premises in enterprise zones.
176
2.1.3 Public administration
Do this crossword puzzle.
All the words in it are, in one way or another, connected to public administration.
Across: 13. watch over and control, supervise

1. regular expenses involved in running a 14. official appointed by a government to
business investigate and report on complaints made
3. carry out by citizens against public authorities
7. lower in rank or position 15. coming one after the other
9. thing aimed at or wished for, purpose 17. person who receives sth, especially
10. give official approval or support (to a money
claim, statement, etc.) 18. period of holding of office
12. sum of money owed to sb that has not 19. connected to controlling or directing
yet been paid sth by means of rules and restrictions
177
Down:
2. putting money on one side for a special
purpose
4. corresponding in size, amount or degree
to sth
5. poor or dishonest management of public
affairs
6. sb having a share or interest in sth
7. the action of watching or keeping a
check on sth to make sure it is done
properly
8. expression of a feeling of dislike,
disapproval or opposition
11. transfer of power or authority,
especially from central government to
regional authorities
16. order given by an authority and having
the force of a law
178
3) Speaking
3.1 Local governments
Choose a local government that you are familiar with and prepare a three-minute-long mini
presentation about it.
You may include information about:
• its location and population

• what people live on there
• what it is famous for
• its composition
• its tasks
• its system of finance
Then form groups of three and deliver your

presentations. Those listening will have to ask one or
two questions.
Take turns in doing so.

http://kendylife.blogspot.hu/2014/05/sabahpart1.html
3.2 Public administration
Work in pairs.
Choose one of the diagrams. Study its content and think about what further information or
comments you can add to it.
Then speak about the topic on the basis of your chosen diagram.
Then listen to your partner speaking about the other topic.
3.2.1 Study this diagram and then speak about the change in the tasks of counties after the
reform of the system of public administration in Hungary.
179
http://www.google.hu/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CGkQFjAI&url=htt
p%3A%2F%2Fwww.aerte-
asso.org%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_rubberdoc%26view%3Ddoc%26id%3D237%26format%
3Draw%26Itemid%3D100052&ei=Yur5U_-
GCsTYOumkgbAC&usg=AFQjCNHuNujP0Vcl5pUmA79bDqeCLBJonQ&bvm=bv.73612305,d.bGE
3.2.2 Study this diagram and then speak about the process of policy making.
180
http://adminscience.blogspot.hu/2
012_03_01_archive.html
3.2.3 Budgeting
Work in pairs. Study the flow chart on how Virginia's budget is developed.
Then explain a phase of this procedure. Take turns in doing so.
If you think you need some help, you can read about this procedure below the flowchart.
http://dpb.virgini
a.gov/budget/faq.cfm
Note: DPB - Department of Planning and Budget

GA - General Assembly
How is Virginia's budget adopted?

181
Virginia has a biennial budget system, which means it adopts a two-year budget. The biennial
budget is enacted into law in even-numbered years, and amendments to it are enacted in odd-
numbered years. (For example, the budget for the current biennium was adopted by the 2008
General Assembly and was amended by the 2009 General Assembly.)
Developing the Commonwealth's budget is a process which takes many months and involves
many participants, from the public to state agencies to the legislature. The process includes
five distinct phases:
(1) Agency budget preparation phase. State agencies analyze their programs and needs
through a strategic planning process which includes a review of their mission and how well
they serve their customers through customer satisfaction surveys or other methods of public
input. Based on this analysis, agencies prepare and submit their requests for funding to the
Department of Planning and Budget (DPB). Agencies generally present their proposals to
DPB in the early fall.
(2) Budget development phase. DPB analyzes the budget requests of agencies to verify
costs, confirm the need for services, investigate any alternatives for funding, and identify
policy issues for the Governor's consideration. This analysis takes place during the fall.
In the late fall, the Governor and his Cabinet Secretaries work together to prepare a proposed
budget which reflects the Administration's priorities.
The Governor submits his budget proposals to the General Assembly on or before December
20 in the form of a bill. The Budget Bill is a legal document listing budget appropriations at a
detailed line-item level. He also distributes a "Budget Document" which sets forth his
proposals in a more readable form. The Budget Document is an Executive Branch document
and can be found on our Virginia's Budget page.
The "Budget Bill" is a legislative document and can be found on the Legislature's LIS System.
The direct link to the 2008-2010 Budget Bill is http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-
bin/legp504.exe?091+men+SB2
(3) Legislative action phase. The General Assembly convenes each year on the second
Wednesday of January. The Governor's proposed budget is submitted to the General
Assembly in the form of a "bill." In each house, the budget bill is referred to committees
which hold public hearings and committee discussions. In the House of Delegates, the House
Appropriations Committee reviews the budget bill. In the Senate, the budget bill is referred to
the Senate Finance Committee. The committees may introduce amendments to the budget bill.
After review by each of these committees, the amended budget bill is brought to the floor of
each house, where other amendments may be made. Each house votes on the amended budget
182
bill. After each house votes on its own version of the budget bill, the bill "crosses over" to the
other house where it is again debated and voted on. Before the General Assembly adjourns for
the session, a conference committee resolves any differences between the versions passed by
the two houses.
The General Assembly then sends the budget bill to the Governor for his signature.
(4) Governor's review phase. The Governor reviews the bill passed by the General
Assembly. He may sign it, veto the entire bill or certain line items, or recommend
amendments. If the Governor vetoes the bill or any items of the bill, it goes back to the
General Assembly during a reconvened session in the spring. If he recommends amendments,
the bill is returned to the reconvened session for consideration and action by the General
Assembly on the Governor's proposed amendments.
(5) Budget execution phase. The budget passed by the General Assembly and enacted into
law goes into effect on July 1 in even-numbered years and on the date of passage in odd-
numbered years.
http://dpb.virginia.gov/budget/faq.cfm
4) Writing: Budgeting
You are asked to write a short informative description to be uploaded on an official website
about how the budget of that particular entity is developed.
You can choose one of these topics:
• The national budget

• The budget of a local government
• The budget of a public sector institution
5) Role-play: Public administration
Civil servant - citizen encounters
Work in pairs.
Act out two situations. One of you is Student A (see Role card 1) and the other is Student B
(see Role card 2). In one of the situations you play the civil servant's part and in the other you
are a local resident.
Role card 1
183
Student A
Situation 1:
Ön önkormányzati alkalmazott. A település egyik holland állampolgárságú lakosa panasszal

fordul önhöz.
Kérdezze ki az ügy részleteiről:
• mivel kapcsolatban szeretne panaszt tenni.
Tájékoztassa az ügyfelet:
• az út kiszélesítése közérdek;
• az ügyfél telekrészét nem önkényesen veszik el,
• kisajátításra csak az önkormányzat ilyen értelmű határozata után kerülhet sor;
• a kisajátítás ellenértékét szakértői vélemény alapján határozzák meg.
Javasolja, hogy az ügyfél
• gondolja át az ügyet újból;

• forduljon észrevételeivel önkormányzati képviselőjéhez.
Situation 2:
Ön egy több mint tíz éve az egyik magyarországi megyeszékhelyen élő nigériai állampolgár.
Legidősebb gyermeke idén kezdi el általános iskolai tanulmányait. Gyermekét azonban az
egyik helyi iskola nem akarja az Ön által kiszemelt osztályba felvenni. Ez ügyben keresi fel a
város jegyzőjét.
Mondja el:
• az iskola igazgatója szerint a speciális osztályban kisebb a létszám, így a nyelvi

nehézségek ellenére gyermeke el tudja sajátítani az előírt tananyagot;
• Ön szerint viszont azért vették föl gyermekét egy speciális osztályba, mert Ön
színesbőrű;
• otthon csak angolul beszélnek, de gyermeke egy évet járt egy magyar óvodába;
• úgy érzi, faji diszkrimináció áldozata, ami úgy tudja törvényellenes, ezért fordult
panaszával a jegyzőhöz.
Kérdezze meg:
• ha a jegyző nem illetékes ebben az ügyben és nem tudja utasítani az iskola igazgatóját,
hova fordulhat panaszával;
184
• ha bírósághoz fordul, a tanév kezdéséig hátralévő négy hónap alatt megszületik-e a

döntés.
Role card 2
Student B
Situation 1:
Ön egy kisalföldi városka holland állampolgárságú lakója. Szomszédaitól úgy hallotta, hogy
az önkormányzat el fogja venni a háza előtti telekrészének egy darabját, mert ki akarják
szélesíteni az utat. Ez ügyben panasszal fordul az önkormányzat egyik alkalmazottjához.
Mondja el:
• igazságtalannak tartja, hogy az önkormányzat elveszi telkének egy darabját;

• sokkal zajosabb és porosabb lesz a háza, mert az út közvetlenül a háza előtt lesz majd,
így nem tud sem szellőztetni, sem pihenni.
Kérdezze meg:
• ki fog dönteni a kisajátításról;

• kivel tud beszélni a telekrész áráról;
• ha még semmi nem dőlt el, kihez fordulhat segítségért.
Situation 2
Ön az egyik megyeszékhelyen dolgozik jegyzőként. Egy nem magyar állampolgárságú helyi

lakos beiskolázással kapcsolatos panaszával fordul önhöz.
Kérdezze ki az ügy részleteiről:
• mivel kapcsolatban szeretne panaszt tenni;

• milyen indokkal vették föl az ügyfél gyermekét speciális osztályba;
• van-e valós alapja az indoknak.
Tájékoztassa az ügyfelet:
• a város általános iskolái már nem a város, hanem az állam kezelésében vannak;
• Ön nem utasíthatja az iskola igazgatóját.
Javasolja, hogy az ügyfél
185
• forduljon az iskolafenntartó központhoz (KLIK);

• ha ott sem kap segítséget, forduljon az ombudsmanhoz.
6) Local governments
6.1 Summary
Sum up the following text on changes in local government system in Hungary. Make the text
shorter by selecting the most important pieces of information, increasing the information
density of the text and using special linguistic structures suitable for this purpose.
Önkormányzati változások
Információ a törvényi háttér változásairól
A legjelentősebb változás, hogy a jelenlegi feladatok jelentős részét az állam közvetlenül

biztosítja 2013-tól, a helyi önkormányzatok inkább a sajátosan helyi feladatok
szervezését végzik majd. A jövőben az államigazgatási feladat- és hatáskörök döntő
többsége az államigazgatási szervekhez, a járási kormányhivatalokhoz kerül, biztosítva
az igazgatási feladatok országon belül egyenlő színvonalon történő ellátását. A helyi
önkormányzatok számára kötelező feladatot továbbra is törvény írhat elő, de az
önkormányzatok eltérő adottságait (gazdasági teljesítőképesség, lakosságszám, a
közigazgatási terület mérete) is figyelembe véve.
A régi Önkormányzati Törvény párhuzamosan egy ideig még hatályban marad, mellette
lépcsőzetesen léptetik hatályba a Magyarország önkormányzatairól szóló Új törvényt. A
rendelkezések 2013 januárjától lépnek hatályba, illetve a 2014. évi önkormányzati választások
kapcsán.
Önkormányzati feladatok
Az óvodák fenntartásán kívül az önkormányzat feladata lesz továbbra is a településfejlesztés,

településrendezés és a településüzemeltetés (köztemetők, közvilágítás, kéményseprés, stb.).
Önkormányzati kézben maradnak a szociális, gyermekvédelmi és gyermekjóléti
szolgáltatások és ellátások, az egészségügyi alapellátás (háziorvosi, fogorvosi stb.), az
egészséges életmód segítését célzó szolgáltatások és a környezet- egészségügy (pl.
köztisztaság, rovarirtás) körébe tartozó dolgok. Ide tartoznak a kulturális szolgáltatások is,
mint például a könyvtár, a helyi környezet- és természetvédelem, vízgazdálkodás, vízkár
elhárítás, ivóvíz ellátás, szennyvízelvezetés, -kezelés és -ártalmatlanítás (csatornaszolgáltatás)
ügye vagy a lakás- és helyiséggazdálkodás is.
186
Önkormányzati feladat lesz a honvédelem, a polgári védelem, a katasztrófavédelem, a helyi

közfoglalkoztatás, a helyi adóval, gazdaságszervezéssel és a turizmussal kapcsolatos
feladatok, a sport és ifjúsági ügyek, a nemzetiségi ügyek, a hulladék-gazdálkodás és a
távhőszolgáltatás.
Törvényben meghatározott esetekben az önkormányzat állami feladatokat is elláthat, és

továbbra is önként vállalhatják olyan helyi közügyek ellátását, amelyet jogszabály nem utal
más szerv kizárólagos hatáskörébe. Az önként vállalt feladatok ellátása azonban nem
veszélyeztetheti a kötelező feladatok ellátását. Így ezek finanszírozását saját bevételből vagy
erre a célra biztosított forrásból kell megoldani.
Közös önkormányzati hivatalok
2013. január 1-jétől közös önkormányzati hivatalt hoznak létre azon — a járáson belüli —
községi önkormányzatok, amelyek területét legfeljebb egy település választja el egymástól, és
lakosságszámuk nem haladja meg a 2000 főt, de a 2000 fő lakosságszámot meghaladó
település is tartozhat közös hivatalhoz. A közös önkormányzati hivatalokat legkésőbb 2013
márciusáig kell megalakítani.
Feladatfinanszírozás
Az önkormányzatok által kötelezően ellátandó feladatok működési kiadásait az Országgyűlés

feladatalapú támogatással biztosítja. Ezt a támogatást a helyi önkormányzat éves szinten
kizárólag a kötelezően ellátandó feladatainak kiadásaira fordíthatja. Ellenkező esetben a
támogatás összegét kamatokkal köteles visszafizetni. A támogatás összegét a központi
költségvetésről szóló törvény határozza meg.
A közoktatási törvény
2013. január 1-jétől az állam veszi át az alap- és a középfokú oktatás irányítását, de az óvodák
fenntartása továbbra is önkormányzati kézben marad. Azonban a 2000 főnél nagyobb
lélekszámú települések határozott időre átvállalhatják az iskolai oktatás működtetési
feladatait, köznevelési szerződés megkötésével. Ez azt is jelenti például, hogy a pedagógus-
béreket minden esetben közvetlenül az állam finanszírozza. A feladatok átvétele előtt az
önkormányzatok teljes bevételi rendszerét átvizsgálják.
Forrás: Vörösvári Újság, Magyar Közlöny, Önkormányzati Iránytű
6.2 Translation: The adoption of the budget act
Translate the following informative text on the special

features of the adoption of the budget act.
187
A költségvetési törvény sajátos tárgyalási rendje
A költségvetési törvényjavaslat tárgyalási rendje több ponton eltér a törvényalkotás általános

szabályaitól. A leglényegesebb eltérés az, hogy két eltérő funkciójú részletes vitára is sor
kerül, és ennek megfelelően, a módosító javaslatokról is két külön szakaszban szavaz az
Országgyűlés, mielőtt a zárószavazásra sor kerülne. Az első részletes vitában olyan módosító
javaslatokat vitat meg az Országgyűlés, amely a különböző költségvetési fejezetek között
indítványoz átcsoportosításokat. Ezt követően a módosító javaslatokról szavaz az
Országgyűlés (november 30-áig), dönt az egyes fejezetek és a költségvetés fő összegeiről: a
bevételről, a kiadásról és a hiányról. Az ezt követően újra megnyitott részletes vitában már
csak olyan módosító javaslatokat lehet benyújtani, amelyek az egyes költségvetési fejezeten
belül változtatják meg az előirányzatokat, így azok az elfogadott főösszegeket már nem érinti.
A költségvetési törvény megalkotásának folyamatában fontos ellenőrzési jogkört (bizonyos
esetekben vétójogot) kapott a Költségvetési Tanács.
Az Alaptörvény szerint a köztársasági elnök feloszlathatja az Országgyűlést, ha a

költségvetést március 31-ig nem fogadja el.
http://www.parlament.hu/fotitkar/tvalk/torvenyalkotas.htm

Revision
fn (a) felsorakoztatás, felsorakozás, sorba állás (b)

alignment
összehangolás, (hozzá)igazítás
• alignment with
• igazodás vmhez
committed mn elkötelezett, vm mellett kiálló
distinguish ige megkülönböztet
fundraising fn adománygyűjtés, támogatószerzés
groundbreaking mn úttörő, innovatív, új
1 fn (a) adóteher (b) adóbeszedés, adóbehajtás 2 ige kivet,

levy
beszed, behajt
neighbourhood fn (a) szomszédság (b) környék, környezet
occupier fn bérlő, lakó, birtokló, vmt elfoglaló
occupy ige (a) elfoglal) (b) lakik (c) ellát, betölt (állást)
terms fn tsz feltételek, kikötések
188
• on one’s terms • saját feltételei, akarata, elképzelései szerint

persuade ige meggyőz
premises fn tsz helyiség, épület, telephely
progressive mn haladó gondolkodású
proportion fn arány
• in proportion to • vm arányában/mértékében, viszonyítva vmhez

prosperity fn jólét, fellendülés
redistribute ige újra szétoszt, újra feloszt
unprecedented mn példa nélkül álló, új
volunteer fn önkéntes
189

Judit Ormai English For Law Students Governance

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Czirkóné Ormai Judit & Pókay Marietta

(Interactive) English for Law Students – 3.

UNIT 1 - GOVERNMENTAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS

1. absolute monarchy ___

C/ A type of government which operates under a parliamentary system of government where

D/ A form of government with a constitution and self-governing subunits.

E/ System of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized

F/ A monarchial form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing

G/ A form of government in which the political power is held by a single, self-appointed

1.______________________ Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled

2.______________________. A term applied to a government that extends the

3.______________________ Government by those who are strong enough to seize

4._______________________ A form of order springing from judgments made from

5._______________________ A government or other organization wherein

6._______________________ A form of government in which engineers, scientists,

(Based on: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/List_of_forms_of_government and

Politics and government

abstention budget consensus constitution devolution house leader

1. Germany has a federal constitution______.

1. an abstention to abstain 5. a leak

The political system of the UK

How much do you know about this topic? Do the quiz.

a) The Magna Charta

a) Queen Anne in 1708

a) He or she must be a protestant.

a) He is seated in the House of Lords.

a) It holds jurisdiction in appeals from the Bahamas and Barbados.

8. The power to declare war resides with the monarch.

a) Value added tax

a) Public funding information for the head of state must be provided.

The institutions of government in the UK

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Power is divided so as to ensure that it

1. THE MONARCH/ CROWN

2. LEGISLATURE 3. EXECUTIVE 4. JUDICIARY

(Rivlin: Understanding the Law. Oxford University Press, 2004)

The Executive (the Government)

See to the function of the Privy Council.

Fill in the missing prepositions in the following sentences.

1. The Cabinet determines the policies for submission …… Parliament.

The Queen in Parliament

______________ The body having primary power to make written law.

______________ An Act of Parliament.

______________ Agreement to somethig proposed.

______________ Drafts of proposed Acts of Parliament.

______________ A special privilege or power.

______________ Invite people to take part in an event.

______________ Discontinue a session of a parliament.

______________ End officially.

______________ The process of choosing by vote a member of a representative body.

______________ A formal public statement.

______________ An opinion about what could or should be done about a situation or

The President of the Republic

i) shall decide on matters related to the acquisition or termination of citizenship;

The President of the Republic: shall represent Hungary.

Translate the following informative text into Hungarian.

(Based on: http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/hungary/government)

The Queen’s speech 2013

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons.