Hungary regulatory update: new public holiday, authorities and rules for health-care professionals

Legislative and regulatory initiatives now underway in Hungary could have tangible consequences for businesses before the end of the year and into 2027. The measures range from an additional public holiday and retail restrictions to major institutional reforms in environmental governance, food safety enforcement and health-care regulation. 

The following article outlines the most significant proposals and explains why they deserve attention now.

Even Santa deserves a break – Christmas Eve to become a public holiday

A new draft law was submitted to the Hungarian Parliament on 23 September 2026 proposing to make 24 December (Christmas Eve) an official public holiday, which is a proposal that has been raised multiple times in recent years.

Unlike earlier proposals, which sought only to amend the Labour Code, this draft law takes a broader approach by simultaneously amending eight separate pieces of legislation, including the Trade Act, Civil Service Act, Government Administration Act and other statutes governing specific categories of public-sector and special-status employees. The draft also includes a mandatory shop-closure rule for 24 December with limited exceptions for hospitality venues, florists, confectioneries, petrol stations and shops at railway stations, bus terminals and airports. If adopted, the number of public holidays in Hungary would increase from 11 to 12.

Employers should begin reviewing their workforce schedules and holiday-pay arrangements for the 2026 festive season now, rather than waiting for final adoption, to avoid last-minute operational disruption.

Regulatory updates in food safety, consumer protection and environmental oversight 

Hungary is initiating significant reforms in food safety supervision and environmental governance by centralising oversight in key sectors, reshaping institutional responsibilities and creating new regulatory structures with potentially far-reaching implications for businesses. 

• Food consumer protection moves to the Agriculture Ministry

As of 1 September 2026, responsibility for food-related consumer protection has been transferred from the Minister of Economy and Energy to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Economy under an amended statute decree governing ministerial competencies. The change consolidates food policy and enforcement functions within a single ministry already responsible for the agricultural supply chain.

• Food safety supervision to be centralised

A draft government decree proposes restructuring Hungary’s food safety enforcement system from 1 November 2026.

Currently, food chain supervision is divided between the National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH), which provides professional oversight, and county government offices and their district-level offices, which exercise employer and operational authority. According to the government, this fragmented structure has hindered efficient enforcement, particularly during crises.

Under the proposal, district-level food chain supervision would be consolidated at the county level while the NÉBIH would assume comprehensive professional oversight across food chain, animal health and plant health regulation. The aim is to accelerate decision-making, improve crisis response and strengthen food safety standards.

The proposal would also return enforcement of unfair B2B trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain to the NÉBIH, reversing the transfer of these powers to the National Authority for Trade and Consumer Protection (NKFH) following its establishment in 2024.

• The headline reform: new environmental authority proposed

The most far-reaching of the three reform initiatives is the planned establishment of the National Living Environment Supervisory Authority (OÉF), which would begin operating on 1 January 2027.

Beyond its expanded powers, the proposal is notable for what it seeks to restore. After more than a decade without a dedicated central environmental authority, the reform would reestablish nationwide institutional oversight of environmental and nature-protection matters, signalling a return to a more centralised model of environmental governance.

The new body would serve as a central authority for environmental, nature conservation and climate protection issues with responsibilities covering air and water quality, biodiversity, forestry, geological resources and wildlife protection. It would also exercise nationwide jurisdiction in special environmental cases, hear appeals against regional decisions and supervise enforcement activities for the environment, waste management, nature conservation, animal welfare, forestry and water quality control.

Perhaps most notably for businesses, the authority would assume a dedicated nationwide mandate over environmental licensing and supervision of battery manufacturing facilities, related activities and associated infrastructure in battery production and battery waste management. Given Hungary’s continued focus on attracting battery-sector investment, this would centralise regulatory oversight of one of the country’s strategic industries within a single specialised authority, making the reform relevant for investors and operators active in the sector.

Hungarian Medical Chamber – increased powers and mandatory membership 

A bill adopted by the Hungarian Parliament on 22 September 2026 will restore mandatory professional chamber membership for health-care workers and reinstate the public-body powers of the Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK). 

Mandatory chamber membership in Hungary has had a turbulent legislative history. It was originally required for practice, then abolished, partially restored and most recently curtailed in 2023 by amendments to Act CLIV of 1997 on Health care and to Act XCVII of 2006 on Professional Bodies in the Healthcare Sector. The 2023 amendments stripped the MOK of its key powers, including its jurisdiction over medical ethics proceedings. The current bill reverses this and grants new powers to professional bodies in the health-care sector.

Beyond reinstating mandatory membership, the bill will return professional and ethical disciplinary proceedings against physicians to the MOK and strengthen the chamber’s advisory role by giving it enhanced consultation rights for health-care legislation and professional guidelines, among others. Notably, the MOK will also be able to initiate legislative or policy changes affecting health care to the responsible preparatory body. Unpaid membership dues will be classified as public debts. The bill also imposes term limits for officers, and grants elected officials paid time off for chamber activities.

Health-care workers who are currently not members of their respective chamber will have 30 days from entry into force to apply or face a prohibition on practicing. The bill will enter into force the day after its publication in the Hungarian Gazette.

The MOK’s new powers are expected to strengthen its influence over professional standards, ethics oversight and health-care leadership appointments. Companies engaging health-care professionals should assess the potential impact of the changes on stakeholder engagement and medical affairs activities.

For more information on these updates and how they could impact your business operations in Hungary, contact your CMS client partner or the CMS experts who contributed to this article.

This article was co-authored by Lili Benyovszki, Hunor Bendegúz Jávorszki, Bence Kovács, Viktor Kovács and Lilla Vereska.