The Hungarian Ministry of Environment (MOE) contracted EMLA to write an Environmental Handbook for members of the general public wishing to check up on environmental problems or otherwise having an interest in environmental matters. The twohundred-fifty page study includes sections on the following topics: general environmental principles, constitutional law, environmental administrative bodies and their responsibilities, public participation, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and general procedural problems. It also contains a special section in which regulations of environmental media and other factors are discussed. This section contains a good deal of environmental law case history, mainly from EMLA’s experiences over the past six years. This is the first such attempt to provide a closer and easily understandable look at Hungary's environmental and procedural legal issues. We hope that the handbook will serve as a solid basis for NGOs, and the public at large, in need of legal information.

Védegylet (Association of Defenders) is a new organization focused on environmental and other social rights. The association organized a conference on the introduction of a new ombudsman into the Hungarian constitutional system, one which would protect the interests of future generations. Gyula Bándi, EMLA president, participated in the drafting of the proposal and also chaired a related public conference. EMLA attorney Csaba Kiss also participated in further preparatory actions.

The Hungarian Government has undersigned the Aarhus Convention on Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making. The Convention is an excellent and effective summary of the major developments in the public participation field. The next step, ratifying the Convention, is vital for Hungary’s environment especially given the current pace of economic development.

Although the politicians tend to acknowledge the importance of public participation as the most effective tool for ensuring transparency and accountability in environmental decision-making, they are quite reluctant to take the necessary practical steps. EMLA and the Regional Environmental Center quite frequently cooperate on Aarhus related matters. EMLA worked on the following important Aarhus projects over the year.

EMLA completed a joint Hungarian-Slovenian project on public participation in water protection matters related to the Danube basin. The study had three parts: a survey of the existing laws covering institutions, processes, rights and responsibilities on public participation in general and on water related issues specifically; a survey of the actual practices around meeting and enforcing these regulations; three case studies, on the Tisza cyanide disaster, the Rákos-patak project and the Gyôr hazardous waste incinerator near the Danube.

An interview section containing opinions of leading experts from the NGO community, water management and environmental protection agencies, and the industry bolstered the study. The practical results will form the basis for a public access to information campaign in the town of Szolnok.

EMLA played a key role in the dialogue between Hungary’s environmental NGOs and the Hungarian Parliament's Environmental Committee on Aarhus Convention issues. The aim of this project is twofold: to inform these groups about the Convention’s possibilities and to catalyze them into promoting the ratification and subsequent implementation of the Convention. EMLA wrote a six-page leaflet entitled "What does the Aarhus Convention do for us?" and distributed four hundred copies amongst the Hungarian NGOs and the members of the parliamentary committee. Both of the groups agreed that EMLA would be allowed to address their meetings held on this topic.