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Sustainability - Hungary

Updated 01/2011

Legal requirements

Corporate social responsibility

In the course of their investments and business transactions, companies are increasingly paying attention to social and environmental perspectives of sustainable development in addition to financial perspectives. In the period up to 2013, they will appreciate the importance of responsible social investment even more through EU aid.

One way to create a "welfare workplace" is via the creation of voluntary mutual insurance funds. These funds can be set up within a company by the employees, or on the employer’s initiative. The aim is to offer services for members that supplement or replace social security services, as well as services that promote healthy lives.

  • Act on Voluntary Mutual Insurance Funds magyar

The Anticorruption Coordination Board: works with the participation of non-governmental state institutions, civil organisations and experts, in addition to government bodies.

  • Government Decree on Tasks Relating to the Fight Against Corruption magyar

The Climate Club works to develop a responsible business culture in Hungary, in which consideration for environmentally aware thinking, solving the problems caused by climate change and sustainable development become part and parcel of companies' business and their social role.

Standards

The Követ Association for Sustainable Management is a Hungarian member of the INEM, CSR Europe and the Global Footprint Network. It prepares, popularises and applies preventative methods that support environmental protection, and which also serve environmental and economic interests.

Ecolabels

The Ministry for Rural Development is responsible for tasks relating to Community ecolabels, and these tasks are performed by the Hungarian Eco-Labelling Organisation, in collaboration with the Evaluation and Qualification Committee appointed by the competent minister. Tenders must be submitted to the Hungarian Eco-Labelling Organisation. In Hungary, the national environmentally friendly product classification system works in parallel with the EU ecolabel. The two systems supplement each other. The national system extends to products and services that are manufactured or distributed in Hungary. Classification of products as environmentally friendly may be awarded for the validity period of the classification conditions, or for no more than one year.

OHSAS 18001

There are workplace health protection and safety management systems that operate on the basis of the OHSAS 18001 standard. Operating the system promotes compliance with increasingly stringent standards on health and safety at work and a reduction in workplace injuries and accidents.

  • OHSAS 18001 magyar

Certification of standards

The ISO 9001:2008 standard provides guidance on increasing customer satisfaction and strengthening relations with importers.

  • ISO 9001 magyar

Quality management standards

The Hungarian Standards Institution website provides information on standard documents recorded in the Hungarian standards database, using the Internet standard catalogue. It is possible to look at key data for individual standards using theInternational Classification for Standards (ICS) System, which lists specialist areas.

  • Hungarian Standards Institution website magyar

Environmental management standards

EMAS, the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme records, monitors and, where necessary, suspends and strikes off participating organisations. Accreditation tasks relating to the EMAS scheme are performed by the National Accreditation Board (NAT), which is responsible for accrediting, supervising and registering environmental auditors.

  • Information relating to the EMAS scheme in Hungary magyar
  • National Accreditation Board magyar

Companies that are certified under the ISO 14001 standard, which regulates environmental management systems, have been registered in Hungary by the Követ Association for Sustainable Management since 1998. Its database includes more than 1000 certified companies.

Occupational safety management standards

The following Decree lays down minimum requirements for health and safety at work:

  • Decree on the Minimum Requirements for Health and Safety at Work magyar
  • Requirements for health and safety at work magyar

Other permits and procedures

The Social Dialogue Centre works to develop national social dialogue in Hungary and the European Union.

  • Social Dialogue Centre magyar

The law requires businesses to comply with minimum social and environmental rules.

Programmes

The Move Europe Programme launched by the National Health Development Institute provides guidelines for companies on creating a workplace where employees feel good and work well. The programme awards the title of Healthy European Company to companies and organisations applying the best models for promoting workplace health.

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • Act LIII of 1995 on General Environmental Protection Rules magyar
    • Act XCVI of 1993 on Voluntary Mutual Insurance Funds - Hungarian Official Journal 1993/176 (6 December 1993) magyar
    • Government Decree 281/2001 (26 December 2001) on the Investment and Management Regulations for Voluntary Mutual Pension Funds - Hungarian Official Journal 2001/155 (26 December 2001) magyar
    • Government Decree 268/1997 (22 December 1997) on the Management Regulations for Voluntary Mutual Health and Mutual Aid Funds - Hungarian Official Journal 1997/118 (22 December 1997) magyar
    • Joint Decree 3/2002 (8 February 2002) of the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs and the Ministry of Health on the Minimum Level of Occupational Health and Safety Requirements in Workplaces - Hungarian Official Journal 2002/19 (8 February 2002) magyar
    • Government Decree 1037/2007 (18 June 2007) on Tasks Relating to the Fight Against Corruption - Hungarian Official Journal 2007/76 (18 June 2007) magyar
    • Decision 29/2008 (20 March 2008) of the Hungarian Parliament on the National Climate-Change Strategy - Hungarian Official Journal 2008/46 (20 March 2008) magyar

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Further help

The Energy Club provides expert information services and demonstrates alternative solutions for social, local government and industrial players.

The Centre for Environmental Studies promotes development in line with the principles of sustainable development, as a background institution, by means of practical environmental policy programmes.