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Source: http://www.doksinet Czirkóné Ormai Judit & Pókay Marietta (Interactive) English for Law Students – 3. Governance Pécs 2014 1 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 2 Source: http://www.doksinet 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/peoples 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-today 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 3 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 states 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 4 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.answerscom/topic) Analyse the diagram. 5 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 leak legislation membership constitution policy poll devolution house leader 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? 6 Source: http://www.doksinet a) b) c) d)

The Magna Charta Common Law Custom 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) b) c) d) Queen Anne in 1708 Queen Victoria in 1876 George III in 1799 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) b) c) d) Queen Rex Queen Regnant Queen Royal 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) b) c) d) He is seated in the House of Lords. He becomes first in the line of succession. None 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? 7 Source: http://www.doksinet a) b) c) d) All of these The Cabinet has superseded the power that the Privy Council once held. Technically, the Cabinet is a committee of the Privy Council. The Cabinet advises the monarch on appointments to the Privy Council. 7. The Judicial Committee of the monarchs 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) b) c) d) Value added tax Inheritance tax on bequests from Sovereign to Sovereign Income tax on personal income 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 Kingdoms Freedom of Information Acts? a) b)

c) d) Public funding information for the head of state must be provided. No exemption is provided. Only personal income and expenditure are exempt. 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 8 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 P li 3. EXECUTIVE G 4. JUDICIARY 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. 2. 3. 4. How is the Prime minister selected in the UK? What is the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Monarch? How is the Cabinet formed? 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. 9 Source: http://www.doksinet Fill in the missing prepositions in the following sentences. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The Cabinet determines the policies for submission Parliament. The institution of Prime Minister dates the eighteenth century. State departments give effect . government policies Ministers are appointed . the recommendation of the Prime Minister The Prime Minister presides meetings of the Cabinet. 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.royalgovuk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueeninParliamentaspx) 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 10 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Queens Speech. Neither House can proceed to public business until The Queens Speech has been read. This speech is drafted by the Government and not by The Queen. It outlines the Governments 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 Queens 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. 11 Source: http://www.doksinet 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; 12 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.parlamenthu/documents/125505/138409/Fundamental+law/73811993-c377-428d-9808ee03d6fb8178) 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.msuedu/countries/hungary/government) 13 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 14 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 15 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 singlemember 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 16 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.wordpresscom/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 hatcheries 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.youtubecom/watch?feature=player embedded&v= KUFB mH0to0 18 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 • aim (at) allegiance • owe allegiance (to) allocate 1 fn szándék, célkitűzés 2 ige célba vesz, igyekszik, törekszik ige céloz, irányul vmire fn állampolgári, alattvalói engedelmesség, hűség ige állampolgári hűséggel tartozik (vkinek) 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 • Royal Assent ige beleegyezik, hozzájárul fn a törvény kihirdetéséhez szükséges formális királyi 19 Source: http://www.doksinet assign beleegyezés 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 • at the expense of audit fn (a) költség (b) kár, teher (c) kiadás hsz azon az áron, hogy 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 • burden of proof capture fn teher, rakomány fn bizonyítási teher, bizonyítási kötelezettség 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

Source: http://www.doksinet 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 • consensus ad idem consent fn megegyezés lat. ’ugyanabban megegyezni’, a felek tényleges megállapodása a szerződés feltételeiről 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 effective encourage enshrine 1 fn hatás, hatály, eredmény, következmény 2 ige végrehajt, megvalósít ige (a) intézkedik (b) végrehajt (c) életbe/hatályba léptet mn tényleges, hatályos, hatékony ige bátorít, ösztönöz 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 • give effect (to) 22 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 • final judgement fn döntés, határozat, ítélet 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 • Lord Mayor fn polgármester 23 Source: http://www.doksinet measure fn főpolgármester 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 • opinion poll prerogative fn szavazás fn közvélemény kutatás 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 Source: http://www.doksinet private • in private proceed procedure proclaim mn magán, privát hsz nem nyilvánosan, bizalmasan, a nyilvánosság kizárásával ige folytat fn eljárás 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 sturgeon 1 ige (a) megáll (b) visszatart, késleltet (c) felfüggeszt, elhalaszt 2 fn (a) tartózkodás (b) felfüggesztés, elhalasztás, szüneteltetés 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet UNIT 2 - Parliament and Legislation Quiz on Parliament Do the quiz on the UK Parliament. http://politics.theguardiancom/quiz/questions/0,9330,1605537,00html Would you pass the UK citizenship test? Below are some true and false statements about the British political system drawn from the esolcitizenship.orguk 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.lawoxacuk/lrsp/overview/legislationphp#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 Source: http://www.doksinet 1 2 3 4 5 31 Source: http://www.doksinet 6 7 8 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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: általános vita vita az általános szabályozási elvekről, a törvényjavaslat egészéről, szükségességéről és céljáról részletes vita vita a benyújtott módosító javaslatokról (az ellene és mellette szóló érvek) szavazás a módosító javaslatokról szavazás az egyes módosító javaslatokról (a változásokról) záróvita és zárószavazás kodifikációs hibák kijavítása, az e célból benyújtott módosító javaslatok megvitatása, majd szavazás a módosító javaslatokról és a törvényjavaslat egészéről 33 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.parlamenthu/pairhelp/ogy magyarhtm# Toc261954555) Reading Statutes Find the Antarctic Act 2013 on www.legislationgovuk 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.lawoxacuk/lrsp/overview/legislationphp#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.europaeu/code/en/en-120000htm) 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 1.fejezet A. article 1./ 2. cikkely B. chapter 2./ 3. § C. paragraph 3/ 4. bekezdés D item 4./ 5. pont 5./ E. section 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 Source: http://www.doksinet David Cameron about the House of Lords reform http://www.bbccouk/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.bbccouk/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 governments 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 reelection. 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 governments 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 constituenciesa 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 governments plans on Lords reform but wanted the reforms to go to a UK-wide

referendum. Following the announcement plans for 37 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 hasnt 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, Labours 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 governments 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 Source: http://www.doksinet - 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 groundnuts) 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 Source: http://www.doksinet Traditions of Parliament http://www.parliamentuk/about/how/role/traditi ons/ 40 Source: http://www.doksinet abbreviation alter amend amendment article backbencher backtrack bid bid (for) bishop borough boundary chamber chaplain chapter circular citation cite coalition code • code of practice commencement date of commencement committed commitment • commitments concern consolidate constituency constituent custody defiance delegate delegated designate fn rövidítés ige megváltoztat, alakít, módosít ige módosít, javít fn (a) módosítás (b) törvényjavaslat módosítás (c) US alkotmány kiegészítés fn cikkely fn független képviselő ige visszalép, visszatáncol fn (a) árajánlat, licit (b) ajánlattétel megbízás elnyeréséért ige licitál vmi fölött (árverésen) fn püspök fn (a) város (b) választókerület fn határ, mezsgye fn

(a) tanácsterem (b) kamara, parlament háza fn lelkész fn fejezet 1 fn prospektus, ismertető 2 mn (kör)levél fn (a) (be)idézés (b) hivatkozás ige (a) (vmilyen testület, pl. bíróság elé) idéz, beidéz, megidéz (b) hivatkozik fn koalíció fn (a) törvénykönyv, kódex (b) egy állam törvényeinek gyűjteménye fn (a) egy törvény alkalmazásának szabályai (b) magatartási szabályzatok fn kezdet fn törvény hatályba lépésének napja mn elkötelezett fn bebörtönzés fn kötelezettségvállalások 1 fn (a) vállalat, konszern (b) aggodalom, nyugtalanság 2 ige érint, vonatkozik ige (a) egységesít, jogszabályokat egységes szerkezetbe foglal (b) peres ügyeket egyesít fn (a) választókerület (b) támogatói kör fn választó, a választókerületben élő fn (a) őrizet, őrizetbe vétel, előzetes letartóztatás (b) felügyelet fn (a) kihívás (b) ellenszegülés 1 fn küldött 2 ige (a) felhatalmaz (jogkört) átruház (b) delegál mn átruházott,

delegált 1 mn kijelölt (személy) 2 ige kijelöl, minősít 41 Source: http://www.doksinet divorce drag eligible eminent enclosed faith fruition hereditary hostile hostility inherent interpretation item legitimacy legitimate manifesto misconduct motion notary • notary public object objection oppose opposition paragraph parenthesis peer peerage • life peerage persuade persuasion prayer priority promulgate promulgation proposal proposed provision quasi- 1 fn házasság felbontása, válás 2 ige elválik 1 fn húzás, vonszolás 2 ige húz, vonszol mn választható, befogadható mn kimagasló, kiváló mn (a) mellékelt, csatolt (b) körülkerített, bekerített fn (a) bizalom, hit (b) hűség (c) becsület fn megvalóslás,teljesülés mn örökölt, örökletes mn ellenséges fn ellenséges érzelem, rosszindulat mn benne rejlő, vele járó fn (a) értelmezés (b) tolmácsolás fn (a) pont (törvényben) (b) árucikk (c) adat, tétel fn törvényesség, legitimitás mn

jogos, törvényes fn kiáltvány, manifesztum, programnyilatkozat fn kötelességmulasztás, kötelességszegés, helytelen viselkedés fn (a) mozgás (b) indítvány fn jegyző fn közjegyző 1 fn cél 2 ige tiltakozik, ellenvet, kifogásol fn kifogás (vmi ellen) ige ellenez fn (a) ellenzés, szembenállás (b) ellenzék, ellenzéki párt(ok) fn bekezdés fn zárójel fn (a) főrend, a Lordok Háza tagja (b) kortárs (sors)társ fn (a) főrendek összessége (b) tagság a Lordok Házában fn nem örökletes tagság a Lordok Házában ige meggyőz, rábeszél fn (a) meggyőzés, rábeszélés (b) hit fn (a) perbeszéd végén a kérelem (b) Alsóháztól való kérelem (c) Alsóház indítvány a Koronához, vmely törvény hatályon kívül helyezésére fn elsőbbség, prioritás, kiemelt jelentőség ige kihirdet, közhírré tesz, promulgál fn (a) kihirdetés (b) hatályba léptetés, promulgálás fn indítvány, javaslat, ajánlat mn indítványozott, javasolt, ajánlott fn

(a) rendelkezés, intézkedés (b) fedezet, tartalék ekző kvázi, majdnem olyan 42 Source: http://www.doksinet rebel recession reconsideration referendum (tsz referenda) regulate regulation • regulations remainder remedy remnant repeal reserve assent • Royal Assent schedule scrutinise seat section secular Speaker statutory • statutory instrument subsequent subsidiary supremacy supreme tension undermine fn lázadó, felkelő ige lázad fn válság, gazdasági visszaesés fn meggondolás, újra gondolás fn népszavazás ige (a) beállít, igazít (b) szabályoz fn szabályozás, igazítás, beállítás fn szabályok fn maradék, maradvány 1 fn jogorvoslat 2 ige jóvátesz fn maradék, maradvány 1 fn visszavonás, hatályon kívül helyezés 2 ige visszavon, hatályon kívül helyez 1 fn tartalék 2 ige (a) foglal (b) visszatart ige beleegyezik, hozzájárul fn a törvény kihirdetéséhez szükséges formális királyi beleegyezés 1 fn (a) órarend, időbeosztás (b)

toldalék, kiegészítés (c) lista, táblázat 2 ige (a) jegyzékbe, táblázatba foglal (b) beütemez ige tüzetesen átnéz fn (a) szék (b) képviselői hely, mandátum (c) bizottsági tagság fn paragrafus mn világi fn házelnök mn törvényes, jogszabályban foglalt fn miniszteri rendelet, miniszter által kibocsátott jogszabály mn következő, azutáni későbbi mn mellékes, járulékos, kisegítő fn felsőbbség, főhatalom mn legfelsőbb, legfőbb, legfontosabb fn feszültség ige aláás, aláaknáz 43 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.uclacuk/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. (http://www.uclacuk/constitution-unit/whatis/uk-constitution)

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.

(http://www.uclacuk/constitution-unit/whatis/uk-constitution) 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.youtubecom/watch?v=KGdZ5t13l1w 46 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. found in one or more than one legal documents duly enacted in the form of laws generally the result of historical development never made by a representative constituent assembly at a definite stage of

history not promulgated on a particular date precise, definite and systematic the result of the conscious and deliberate efforts of the people major principles and key constitutional provisions are entrenched 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 powerare 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.lawteachernet/constitutional-law/essays/constitutional-conventions-obligationphp) 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 viewpoint 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.nadrcouk/articles/published/ConstitutionalLaw/Chapter005Conventionspdf) 49 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 VicePresidents, 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 Source: http://www.doksinet Constitutional Court Translate the summary of the decision of the Constitutional Court into English 2014.0116 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 1jével 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.mkabhu/) 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.egyenlobanasmodhu/jogesetek/hu/199-2013pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,0,648) 52 Source: http://www.doksinet Migration Analyse the following diagrams. (http://newsimg.bbccouk/media/images/45220000/gif/ 45220756 f976b9b0-5944-4e6d-80bcbfcd90b36c2bgif) (http://www.bbccouk/news/uk-25135418) 53 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.kehhu/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. Im so tired and thirsty, moaned the Frenchman, I think I must have a glass of wine. Im so tired and thirsty, responded the German, I think I must have a beer. Im so tired and thirsty, murmured the Irishman, I think I must have a Guinness. Im so tired and thirsty, muttered the Englishman, I think I must have diabetes. 54 Source: http://www.doksinet Nationality stereotypes

(https://encryptedtbn0.gstaticcom/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCSLSSeJEsW8qVpIAT2MmQprPDYnIY2iZ O4-BwGRgEQFHO w) Törölt: abolish abolition accession accumulation adapt adaptable adopt amend amendable amendment appeal appoint appointment ascendant assembly assent • Royal Assent ige eltöröl, hatályon kívül helyez, érvénytelenít (törvényt v. jogszabályt) fn eltörlés, hatályon kívül helyezés fn csatlakozás vmihez fn vminek a hozzáadással növelése ige (a) alkalmassá tesz (b) átalakít, átdolgoz (c) alkalmazkodik mn (a) alkalmazható (b) hozzáillő, rugalmas ige (a) örökbe fogad (b) átvesz vmit, egyetért vmivel (c) törvényt elfogad ige módosít, javít mn módosítható, javítható fn (a) módosítás (b) törvényjavaslat módosítás (c) US alkotmány kiegészítés 1 fn fellebbezés 2 ige fellebbez ige kinevez fn (a) bejelentett találkozó (b) kinevezés (c) állás fn ős, felmenő ági rokon fn (a) gyülekezés (b) gyűlés, közgyűlés ige beleegyezik,

hozzájárul fn a törvény kihirdetéséhez szükséges formális királyi 55 Oldaltörés Source: http://www.doksinet authorise/authorize backbencher ballot biased budget candidate challenge citizen citizenship clear-cut codify codified coercive command • command a majority conduct conscience consolidate constituent constitute constitution Constitutional Court constitutionality constrained convention deliberate deliberation derive devolution devolve dissent dissolution dissolve distribute domicile duly effort • make an effort elaborate enact enactment beleegyezés ige (a) engedélyez (b) felhatalmaz fn független képviselő fn (titkos) szavazás mn elfogult, részrehajló 1 fn (állami) költségvetés 2 ige beoszt, előirányoz fn pályázó, jelölt 1 fn (a) kihívás (b) kifogás, ellenvetés 2 ige (a) kihív (b) kétségbe von, vitat (c) megtámad, ellenez fn (a) városlakó, városi polgár (b) állampolgár fn állampolgárság mn (a) világos, tiszta, áttekinthető

(b) félreérthetetlen ige kodifikál mn kodifikált mn (a) kényszerítő (b) korlátozó 1 fn (a) parancs, rendelkezés (b) irányítás, vezetés 2 ige parancsol, elrendel ige többséget élvez 1 fn magatartás 2 ige vezet, levezet fn lelkiismeret ige (a) egységesít, jogszabályokat egységes szerkezetbe foglal (b) peres ügyeket egyesít fn választó, a választókerületben élő ige alkot fn (a) alkotmány (b) alapszabály fn alkotmánybíróság fn alkotmányosság mn erőltetett, mesterkélt, nem természetes fn (hallgatólagos) megállapodás 1 mn szándékos, önhatalmú 2 ige megfontol, tanácskozik fn mérlegelés ige (a) származtat (b) szerez, nyer fn hatáskör átruházása, alacsonyabb szintre telepítése fn hatáskört átruház, alacsonyabb szintre telepít 1 fn egyet nem értés 2 ige ellenvéleményen van fn feloszlatás, megszüntetés, felbontás ige feloszlat, megszüntet, felbont ige szétoszt, feloszt 1 fn állandó lakhely, székhely 2 ige lakik vhol

(állandó jelleggel) hsz (a) megfelelően, kellően, szabályosan (b) rendben, kellő időben fn erőfeszítés, törekvés ige igyekszik, mindent megtesz 1 mn (a) alapos, gondosan kidolgozott (b) bonyolult 2 ige (a) gondosan kidolgoz (b) feldolgoz (témát) ige törvénybe iktat fn (a) törvényalkotás (b) törvény 56 Source: http://www.doksinet endorse enforce entrenched evident evolve exemplify fiasco flexibility for the sake of force Governor General ignore immigrant impact inevitable inevitably latter migration naturalization outline peer peeress polity prevail (over ) principle privilege procedure promulgate promulgation provision refugee refuse regime • regime change rely (on) renounce renunciation repeal residence resident reside ige (a) hozzájárul, jóváhagy (b) jogosítványba közlekedési szabálysértés elkövetésének tényét bejegyzi (c) hátirattal ellát ige (a) kierőszakol, kikényszerít (b) érvényre juttat (c) érvényesít (jogot, követelést) mn

változtathatatlan mn nyilvánvaló, világos, magától értetődő ige kibontakozik, kialakul, kifejlődik ige (a) szemléltet (b) példáz fn kudarc fn (a) hajlékonyság (b) rugalmasság (c) alkalmazkodó képesség hsz (a) vmi kedvéért (b) vmi érdekében (c) vmi miatt 1 fn erő, hatály 2 ige kényszerít fn (fő)kormányzó, a brit korona képviselője a Nemzetközösség egyes országaiban ige figyelmen kívül hagy, nem vesz tudomásul fn bevándorló fn (a) ütközés, becsapódás (b) hatás, befolyás mn elkerülhetetlen, szükségszerű hsz elkerülhetetlenül, feltétlenül, szükségszerűen mn későbbi, utóbbi fn (a) költözés (b) kivándorlás (c) bevándorlás fn honosítás, állampolgárság megszerzése 1 fn vázlat, áttekintés 2 ige felvázol, körvonalaz fn (a) főrend, a Lordok Háza tagja (b) kortárs, (sors)társ fn a Lordok Háza női tagja, főrend felesége fn (a) államigazgatás (b) közösség, államközösség ige uralkodik, érvényesül,

győzedelmeskedik vki felett fn (alap)elv fn (a) előjog, kiváltság, privilégium (b) mentesség, mentelmi jog fn eljárás (mód), folyamat ige kihirdet, közhírré tesz fn (a) kihirdetés (b) hatályba léptetés fn rendelkezés, intézkedés fn (politikai) menekült 1 fn hulladék, szemét 2 ige elutasít, visszautasít, megtagad fn (a) kormányforma (b) uralom, rezsim, kormányrendszer fn rendszerváltozás ige megbízik vkiben, támaszkodik vkire ige lemond, felad fn (a) lemondás (b) megtagadás (c) felmondás 1 fn visszavonás, hatályon kívül helyezés 2 ige visszavon, hatályon kívül helyez fn (a) lakóhely (b) tartózkodás fn (a) állandó lakos, lakóhellyel rendelkező, letelepedett (b) rezidens, meghatalmazott képviselő, ügyvivő ige lakik, tartózkodik, lakóhellyel rendelkezik 57 Source: http://www.doksinet resign resignation responsive restrict restricted review revision revolt rigorous rule • rule of law seat sovereign sovereignty spouse stateless

statute stifle stipulate stipulation subject (to) submission submit sum up summon terminate treaty ultimate unitary unlike valid vest (in) violate violation ige lemond fn lemondás mn (a) érzékeny, fogékony (b) válaszoló, felelő ige korlátoz, szigorít mn korlátozott 1 fn (a) felülvizsgálat (b) szemle, hetilap, havilap 2 ige általánosan felülvizsgál, ellenőriz fn módosítás, felülvizsgálat 1 fn felkelés, lázadás, zendülés 2 ige felkel, lázad mn szigorú, rideg, kérlelhetetlen 1 fn szabály, előírás 2 ige (a) határozatot hoz (b) uralkodik, érvényesül (c) kormányoz fn joguralom, jogállamiság fn (a) szék (b) képviselői hely, mandátum (c) bizottsági tagság 1 fn szuverén, felség 2 mn szuverén, független fn szuverenitás, felségjog, felségterület, korlátlan hatalom fn házastárs mn hontalan fn törvény ige (a) fojtogat, megfojt (b) elnyom, elfojt (c) tompít ige szerződésben kiköt fn szerződéses kikötés, feltétel 1 mn (a) vmitől

függő, vminek tárgya (b) kitett, vmi alá eső 2 ige vminek alávet, kitesz vkit fn bíróság előtt tett kijelentés, nyilatkozat ige (a) benyújt, előterjeszt (b) állít, kijelent, nyilatkozatot tesz (c) elismer, behódol ige összefoglal ige behív, berendel, idéz ige megszüntet, felmond fn szerződés (államközi) egyezmény mn végső mn egységes 1 mn különböző, eltérő, más 2 hsz nem úgy, mint, ellentétben mn (a) jogos, helytálló, igazolható (b) érvényes ige felruház, ráruház, rábíz ige megszeg fn megszegés, megsértés, jogsértés, szabályszegés 58 Source: http://www.doksinet GOVERNANCE 2. rész UNIT 4 ELECTIONS and POLITICAL PARTIES http://voicesforfree dom.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/election1-copyjpg 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 Source: http://www.doksinet http://www.seomrarangaco m/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/election wordle-300x158.jpg http://www.abcnetau/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Representation Mixed systems Majoritarian systems Combines

the features of More representative as seats majoritarian-style systems are distributed according to and Proportional vote share. Representation. Systems, like FPTP, that tend to be simple but are highly disproportional. Proportional Representation Single Transferable Vote How does the single transferable Vote work? Candidates dont 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.accuratedemocracycom/d ballothtm Each voter gets one vote, which can transfer from their first-preference to their secondpreference, 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 Source: http://www.doksinet Candidates dont 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 secondpreference, 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 ballothtm 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.wikimediaorg/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-reformorguk/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.accuratedemocracycom/d ballothtm 63 Source: http://www.doksinet You can find further information about these electoral systems on the following websites:

http://www.electoral-reformorguk/?PageID=476 http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/es/onePage http://www.ideaint/esd/glossarycfm#FPTP 1.4 Video Watch this video (https://www.youtubecom/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 nonnative speakers of English to enlarge their vocabulary associated

with elections http://www.bbccouk/worldservice/learningenglish/specials/cojo/elections/Course/asset/mainhtml 64 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 65 Source: http://www.doksinet 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) 66 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Majestys 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. 67 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.parliamentuk/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.parliamentuk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2010/RP10-036pdf Tendencies What tendencies do these diagrams show? 68 Source: http://www.doksinet http://www.parliamentuk/documents/commons/lib/research/rp2010/RP10-036pdf 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 EU 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 668 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 38 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 antiOrbán 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 2054 percent of the vote, gaining almost 4 percent compared to 2010. That result made it the most successful far-right party in 71 Source: http://www.doksinet the European Union today, albeit narrowly. (The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) gained

2051 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 antiRoma 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 “nonresident 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 72 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.washingtonpostcom/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/04/14/the-2014-hungarianparliamentary-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 4.11 Listen to Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme speaking about one of the tasks of

political parties. Click here (http://www.youtubecom/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 4.12 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 Britains 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 Source: http://www.doksinet claims to be the UKs 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. 75 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 systemand succeeding at raising many eyebrowsfor years. 1. The Surprise Party 76 Source: http://www.doksinet 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, antiestablishment, 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 wella “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 77 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 movementeven 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.divinecarolinecom/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 doesnt 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 partys 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.wikipediaorg/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: 80 Source: http://www.doksinet 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/image1368452064jpg 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 23án 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 Source: http://www.doksinet

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 82 Source: http://www.doksinet hozzáadják a pártlistás szavazatainak számához. Az országos listáról 93 mandátumot osztanak ki, méghozzá a jelenlegihez hasonló módon, az úgynevezett dHondt 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.kormanyhu/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 83 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 • Boundary Commission fn GB az alsóház által kiküldött bizottság, amely a választókörzetek alakulását vizsgálja és javaslatokat tesz módosításukra by-election fn időközi választás candidate fn jelölt, pályázó cast a vote ige szavaz challenge 1 fn (a) kihívás (b) ellenvetés, vitatás 2 ige (a) kihív (b) 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 84 Source: http://www.doksinet distribute ige kioszt, szétoszt, eloszt doomed mn kudarcra/halálra ítélt elect ige (meg)választ fn választás election • by-election • general elections fn időközi választás 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 • be in line with ige összhangban lenni vmivel, megfelelni vmnek 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 85 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 register 1 fn jegyzék, hivatalos lista, nyilvántartás 2 ige jegyzékbe, 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 • run for (an office) ige (hivatalért, tisztségért) jelölteti magát 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 86 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 87 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.govuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment data/file/316772/LGFS24 web editionpdf Act of Parliament Local Government Act 2000 (2000 c.22) http://www.legislationgovuk/ukpga/2000/22/contents 88 Source: http://www.doksinet Fundamental Law of Hungary http://www.parlamenthu/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. 89 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.ccreorg/en/activites/view/8 1.21 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.ccreorg/en/activites/view/35#) and take notes about the problems referred to and the solutions proposed. Problems Solutions 90 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 91 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 subdivisions are legal entities They can have elected or

appointed representatives, as well as their own responsibilities and budget. http://www.ccreorg/docs/changes in local and regional structures web ENpdf Make the chart complete by supplying information provided in the text. 92 Source: http://www.doksinet 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). 93 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.govuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment data/file/316772/LGFS2 4 web edition.pdf 1.41 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 94 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 1.42 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? 95 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Councils Education Social services Transport Strategic planning Fire services Consumer protection Refuse disposal Smallholdings Libraries • District Divided Councils Local planning Recreation Housing Cultural Local matters highways Building regulation Environmental health Refuse collection 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 Governments 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. 96 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 District Councils 27 201 All-Purpose Authorities English Unitary Authorities 55 Metropolitan Districts 36 London Boroughs 32

Scottish Unitary Authorities 32 Welsh Unitary Authorities 22 City of London 1 Isles of Scilly 1 England Wales & Scotland Total Northern Ireland District Councils Grand Total 97 179 407 26 433 Source: http://www.doksinet https://www.govu 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. 98 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 99 Source: http://www.doksinet http://www.gwydirdemoncouk/uklocalgov/structurehtm 1.51 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 1.52 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 100 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.ccreorg/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 municipalitys 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 mayors 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 101 Source: http://www.doksinet . 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 citys 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 countys 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 countys branch and represents the county council. Competences . Secondary schools 102 Source: http://www.doksinet . 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.ccreorg/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: –

103 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 104 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 105 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 106 Source: http://www.doksinet 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; 107 Source: http://www.doksinet • 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 ; 108 Source: http://www.doksinet • 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.tankonyvtarhu/hu/tartalom/tamop425/0050 03 politika 1/images/palne1jpg 109 Source: http://www.doksinet 2.31 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 government 9. group of houses and buildings where people live 4. required by law, compulsory 11. careful in the spending of money, not wasteful 6. acting, done or given willingly 110 Source: http://www.doksinet 12. giving enough profit, benefit, etc compared to money spent 3. state of being sound and workable or feasable 14. administrative division of a country 5. action taken to resolve a difficulty 15. person, group or organisation having the power to give orders or take action 8. coming together of a group of people for a specific purpose 16. division of a city, etc that elects and is represented by a councillor in local government 10. member of a council 12. group of people elected to manage affairs in a city, county, etc. 17. object of ones 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 2.32 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 1.52 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 Source: http://www.doksinet • • • • • 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.theguardiancom/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 . 112 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.economistcom/images/20090411/D1509BR1jpg 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. 113 Source: http://www.doksinet Councils provide over 700 services. http://www.localgovuk/c/document library/get file?uuid=2cb6b1c0-0bf0-48f2-a6779592c1533c5d&groupId=10180 3.21 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) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) Children’s services Highway, roads and transport Adult services Housing Cultural services Environmental services Planning and development Protective services Central and other services 3.22 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://netjogtarhu/jr/gen/hjegy doccgi?docid=A1100189TV) 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 114 Source: http://www.doksinet • • 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.govuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment data/file/316772/LGFS24 web e dition.pdf 3.31 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 Type of spending Financing source revenue expenditure capital expenditure central government grant capital receipts council tax business rates borrowing 3.32 Vocabulary work The two matching exercises below contain the explanation of some basic financial words taken from the text above. Nouns Explanations 116 Source:

http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 3.33 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 Source: http://www.doksinet (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 figyelembevételével történik: támogatás biztosítása a következő szempontok 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 Source: http://www.doksinet http://outside.mforhu/mfor/images/bevetel 120422jpg http://ww w.portfoliohu/img/upload/2009/11/onkorm eladosodottsag 20091118jpg 120 Source: http://www.doksinet http ://www.portfoliohu/img/upload/2009/11/betet hitel 20091118jpg 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 121 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.strangebritaincouk/traditions/weighinghtm/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? 5) Translation / Mediation 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. 122 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.

123 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 feladatmegosztás alapvetően eltér a települési önkormányzatok és a megyei önkormányzatok közötti feladat- és hatáskör megosztástól, amely elengedhetetlenül maga után vonja a jogállásbeli különbségeket is. 124 Source: http://www.doksinet 125 Source: http://www.doksinet 5.4 Oral summary

Study this Electoral Notice 126 Source: http://www.doksinet http://www.nvihu/en/content/Hirdetmenyplakat OGY2014 enpdf Summarise the information provided in this Electoral Notice for an EU citizen living in Hungary. 127 Source: http://www.doksinet http:// valasztas.hu/hu/content/Hirdetmeny onk2014pdf 128 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 arrangement fn (a) elrendezés, beosztás, szervezés (b) egyezségkötés, 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 benefit 1 fn (a) haszon, előny (b) segély, juttatás 2 ige (a) javára van, 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 129 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 commission 1 fn (a) megbízás, bizomány (b) bizottság (c) 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 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 • érinti vm, törődik/foglalkozik vmvel 130 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 era • fn jogi személy fn kor(szak) exclusion fn kizárás, kirekesztés expectation fn elvárás, várakozás • live up to the expectation expenditure • megfelel a várakozásnak, beváltja a hozzá fűzött reményt fn kiadás, pénz felhasználása expense fn kiadás, ráfordítás • at the expense of facilitate • vki költségére, vki kárára 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

• legal entity 131 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 132 Source: http://www.doksinet ownership fn tulajdon, tulajdonjog parish fn parókia • parish council • parish meeting participation • községi tanács • községi gyűlés fn részvétel partnership fn szövetkezés, társulás, partnerség, partneri viszony pest fn rovarkártevő, kártékony állat • pest control pillar • rovarirtás, kártevők irtása 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 receipt fn (a) átvétel, kézhezvétel (b) nyugta, átvételi elismervény receipts bevétel, jövedelem refuse fn hulladék, szemét regalia fn valamely rend, hivatal jelvényei reinforcement fn megerősítés reject ige visszautasít, elutasít 133 Source: http://www.doksinet remote fn távoli resident mn lakó, tartózkodó resolution fn határozat resource fn erőforrás respect fn összefüggés, vonatkozás • with respect to restore • vmre vonatkozóan, tekintettel vmre 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 subsidiarity fn szubszidiaritás, az az elv, mely szerint minden döntést és végrehajtást a lehető legalacsonyabb szinten kell meghozni, ahol a legnagyobb hozzáértéssel rendelkeznek sustainable mn fenntartható syndicate fn meghatározott céllal kialakított egyesülés, szindikátus 134 Source: http://www.doksinet tackle ige (a) megküzd, megbirkózik vmvel (b) nekifog, hozzálát 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.neccom/en SG/images/PublicSafety/topbanner/PUBLIC-ADMINISTRATION-SERVICESjpg 135 Source: http://www.doksinet 1) Statutory regulation 1.1 Information about Hungary for foreign regulators Legislationline (www.legislationlineorg), a free-ofcharge 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.osceorg/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.legislationlineorg/countries/country/25# 1.2 What is public administration? 1.21 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 gradesclerical, 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 US 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 US 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.britannicacom/EBchecked/topic/467746/political-system/36743/Public-administration 1.22 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 ones own file 139 Source: http://www.doksinet • • • 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 Source: http://www.doksinet The

European Parliament took up this case and called on the Commission to respond to the manufacturers 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 complainants 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Unions administration when handling individual cases. This claim is supported by the chart below Describe the chart illustrating the Ombudsmans statistics on alleged maladministration. Law of Administrative Procedure of the European UnionEuropean Added Value Assessment EAVA 1/2012 2) Development, organs and procedures 142 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 SelfGovernment, 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. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. Municipal elections Institutional arrangements and devolution of powers Administrative organisation of Hungary Local self-government and economic hardships Administrative supervision Financial resources Structural reforms – re-centralisation 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 143 Source: http://www.doksinet 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, 144 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.

145 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 39% 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. 146 Source: http://www.doksinet 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, dont forget to make sure that your audience can follow you. 2.21 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. 147 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 148 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 nonexhaustive, 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 149 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.cocopseu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Hungary-WP3pdf 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 150 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 fullscale 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.magyarorszaghu/), which is the official central electronic administration web portal of the country. The Client Gate account can be opened personally eg 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 email 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-stop151 Source: http://www.doksinet 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://ebeszamolo.kimgovhu) 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.ecegjegyzekhu/), 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.magyarkozlonyhu), 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 eGovernment applications 2.22 Notetaking While listening to the other groups 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 eGovernment applications 3) Public finances 3.1 Video Watch this video (https://www.youtubecom/watch?v=Iwv0aWXKujk) made for (Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East

Asia and the Pacific) on public finance management. 153 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 needs Budgeting Managing Performance expenditure assessment and allocation of of the budget and resources of goods and services strategies spending in relation to priorities and goals 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.tradingeconomicscom/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 Source: http://www.doksinet https://www.govuk/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 budgetcentric 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.freebalancecom/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 158 http://www.parlamenthu/fotitkar/tvalk/k Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.echinacitiescom/china-media/The-6-Strangest-Decrees-of-the-North-Korean-Government 5) Translation / Mediation You are going to work with an article that was published on at http://www.penzugyiszemlehu/interju/mukodesi-egyensulyra-kell-torekedni-ez-a-joonkormanyzati-gazdalkodas-alapja 160 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 2011ben? 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 intézménystruktúrát. 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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. 6) List of legal terms 165 Source: http://www.doksinet Public administration access to sth fn elérés, hozzáférés vmhez accessibility fn hozzáférhetőség accord 1 fn (a) egyetértés, összhang, egyezés (b) megegyezés, 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 charge fn

gondoskodás, szolgálat, ügyelet checks and balances • gondjaiba vesz vmt, átveszi az irányítást (az ügyek intézését) 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 consideration • vmvel összhangban fn (a) megfontolás (b) ellenszolgáltatás constitute ige alkot contravene ige megsért (törvényt, szabályt) convince ige meggyőz • take charge of 167 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet enshrine ige rögzít, védelmez entail ige maga után von, magával hoz, együttjár, velejár entrust sth to sb ige gondjaira bíz, rábíz vkre vmt establishment fn (a) alapítás, létrehozás (b) üzleti vállalkozás, intézmény,

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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.nclacuk/v4/pages/rev introhtm 1) Reading: Elections Read the article on Barack Obamas campaign and do the attached exercises. 1.1 This article is about lessons that future candidates can learn from Barack Obamas 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 Source: http://www.doksinet So what can future

progressive candidates learn from Barack Obamas 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) Its 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 Obamas 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.wellstoneorg/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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 2.11 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.govuk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment data/file/316772/LGFS24 web e dition.pdf 2.12 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 2.13 Public administration Do this crossword puzzle. All the words in it are, in one way or another, connected to public administration. 13. watch over and control, supervise 14. official appointed by a government to investigate and report on complaints made by citizens against public authorities 15. coming one after the other 17. person who receives sth, especially money 18. period of holding of office 19. connected to controlling or directing sth by means of rules and restrictions Across: 1. regular expenses involved in running a business 3. carry out 7. lower in rank or position 9. thing aimed at or wished for, purpose 10. give official approval or support (to a claim, statement, etc.) 12. sum of money owed to sb that has not yet been paid 177 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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.blogspothu/2014/05/sabahpart1html 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. 3.21 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 Source: http://www.doksinet http://www.googlehu/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0CGkQFjAI&url=htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.aerteassoorg%2Findexphp%3Foption%3Dcom rubberdoc%26view%3Ddoc%26id%3D237%26format% 3Draw%26Itemid%3D100052&ei=Yur5U GCsTYOumkgbAC&usg=AFQjCNHuNujP0Vcl5pUmA79bDqeCLBJonQ&bvm=bv.73612305,dbGE 3.22 Study this diagram and then speak about the process of policy making 180 Source: http://www.doksinet http://adminscience.blogspothu/2 012 03 01 archive.html 3.23 Budgeting Work in pairs. Study the flow chart on how Virginias 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/faqcfm Note: DPB - Department of Planning and Budget GA - General Assembly How is Virginias budget adopted? 181 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 oddnumbered 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 Commonwealths 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 Governors 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 Administrations 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 Virginias Budget page. The "Budget Bill" is a legislative document and can be found on the Legislatures LIS System. The direct link to the 2008-2010 Budget Bill is http://leg1.statevaus/cgibin/legp504exe?091+men+SB2 (3) Legislative action phase. The General Assembly convenes each year on the second Wednesday of January. The Governors 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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) Governors 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 Governors 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 oddnumbered years. http://dpb.virginiagov/budget/faqcfm 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 servants part and in the other you are a local resident. Role card 1 183 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 Source: http://www.doksinet • 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 Source:

http://www.doksinet • • 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 Source: http://www.doksinet 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 pedagógusbéreket 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 Source:

http://www.doksinet 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.parlamenthu/fotitkar/tvalk/torvenyalkotashtm 7) List of legal terms Revision alignment • alignment with fn (a) felsorakoztatás, felsorakozás, sorba állás (b) összehangolás, (hozzá)igazítás committed • igazodás vmhez mn elkötelezett, vm mellett kiálló distinguish ige megkülönböztet fundraising fn adománygyűjtés, támogatószerzés groundbreaking mn úttörő, innovatív, új levy 1 fn (a) adóteher (b) adóbeszedés, adóbehajtás 2 ige kivet, 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 Source: http://www.doksinet • 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 prosperity • vm arányában/mértékében, viszonyítva vmhez fn jólét, fellendülés redistribute ige újra szétoszt, újra feloszt unprecedented mn példa nélkül álló, új volunteer fn önkéntes 189