EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This study analyses the consistency of Hungary's new media laws with European practices and norms. It addresses a key policy debate in Europe regarding the conformity of Hungary's media laws to European and EU media-regulation standards. Hungarian lawmakers have established a set of comprehensive new media laws that critics say are inconsistent with democratic free-press principles and European practices and norms. Hungarian officials say the legislation conforms to EU standards and its elements are drawn from existing regulations in other European and EU-member states. In December 2010 and January 2011, the Hungarian Government released two statements summarising the main criticisms of its new laws, and providing examples of regulations from 20 European and EU-member states as precedents for Hungary's media legislation. For this study, the Center for Media and Communications Studies (CMCS) commissioned media policy experts in each of these 20 countries to examine every example cited by Government.
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