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The Role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Reformulation of Hungarian Energy Policy

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From Economic to Energy Transition

Part of the book series: Energy, Climate and the Environment ((ECE))

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Abstract

Hungary as a state of the CEE region tries to reconcile the realities of its energy sector built up during the Communist period with EU requirements of free-market principles and the interconnected internal market. Recent changes in this sector included strong state intervention, enhanced competences for regulatory authority, some deprioritization of free market principles, and the plan to build new nuclear reactors in the Paks 2 project. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) concluded that the standing rights of interested parties regarding networks, energy and environmental sectors needs to be broadened. At the same time the Paks 2 project and sector-specific measures have also been challenged before the CJEU, which might have a substantial impact on Hungary’s energy policy in the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies, Department of European Public and Private Law, National University of Public Service, Budapest, Hungary

    László Szegedi

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  1. László Szegedi
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Correspondence to László Szegedi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Matúš Mišík

  2. Department of Political Science, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Veronika Oravcová

Appendix

Appendix

  • A. Cases

  • ACCC/C/2014/105 Hungary

  • Austria v Commission, C-594/18 P, Case in progress

  • Austria v Commission (Paks2), T-101/18, Case in progress

  • Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVerwG) judgment “Luftreinhalteplan Darmstadt” of 5 September 2013, No. 7 C 21.12

  • Commission v Hungary () and de gaz naturel), C-771/18, Case in progress

  • Judgment of the Court of 5 February 1963, NV Algemene Transport- en Expeditie Onderneming van Gend & Loos v Netherlands Inland Revenue Administration, C-26/62, EU:C:1963:1

  • Judgment of the Court of 15 July 1963, Plaumann & Co. v Commission of the European Economic Community, C-25/62, EU:C:1963:17

  • Judgment of the Court of 15 July 1964, Flaminio Costa v E.N.E.L., C-6/64, EU:C:1964:66

  • Judgment of the Court of 10 April 1984, Sabine von Colson and Elisabeth Kamann v Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, C-14/83, EU:C:1984:153

  • Judgment of the Court of 22 June 1989, Fratelli Costanzo SpA v Comune di Milano, C-103/88, EU:C:1989:256

  • Judgment of the Court of 25 November 1992, Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Belgium, C-376/90, EU:C:1992:457

  • Judgment of the Court of 2 April 1998, Stichting Greenpeace Council (Greenpeace International) and Others v Commission of the European Communities, C-321/95 P, EU:C:1998:153

  • Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 29 April 1999, Erich Ciola v Land Vorarlberg, C-224/97, EU:C:1999:212

  • Judgment of the Court of 25 July 2002, Unión de Pequeños Agricultores (UPA) v Council of the European Union, C-50/00 P, EU:C:2002:462

  • Judgment of the Court of 10 December 2002, Commission of the European Communities v Council of the European Union, C-29/99, EU:C:2002:734

  • Judgment of the Court of 9 September 2003, Consorzio Industrie Fiammiferi (CIF) v Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, C-198/01, EU:C:2003:430

  • Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 1 April 2004, Commission of the European Communities v Jégo-Quéré & Cie SA, C-263/02 P, EU:C:2004:210

  • Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 21 February 2008, Tele2 Telecommunication GmbH v Telekom-Control-Kommission, C-426/05, EU:C:2008:103

  • Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 24 April 2008, Arcor AG & Co. KG v Bundesrepublik Deutschland, C-55/06, EU:C:2008:244

  • Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 27 October 2009, Land Oberösterreich v ČEZ as, C-115/08, EU:C:2009:660

  • Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 8 March 2011, Lesoochranárske zoskupenie VLK v Ministerstvo životného prostredia Slovenskej republiky (Slovak bears case), C-240/09, EU:C:2011:125

  • Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 17 March 2011, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest and Others v Vlaamse Gewest, C-275/09, EU:C:2011:154

  • Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 12 May 2011, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, Landesverband Nordrhein-Westfalen eV v Bezirksregierung Arnsberg (intervening party: Trianel Kohlekraftwerk Lünen GmbH & Co. KG), C-115/09, EU:C:2011:289

  • Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 19 March 2015, E.ON Földgáz Trade Zrt v Magyar Energetikai és Közmű-szabályozási Hivatal, C-510/13, EU:C:2015:189

  • Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 16 April 2015, Karoline Gruber v Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat für Kärnten and Others, C-570/13, EU:C:2015:231

  • Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 27 September 2017, Peter Puškár v Finančné riaditeľstvo Slovenskej republiky and Kriminálny úrad finančnej správy, C-73/16, EU:C:2017:725

  • Judgment of the General Court (Fifth Chamber) of 12 July 2018, Republic of Austria v European Commission (Hinkley Point C), T-356/15, EU:T:2018:439

  • Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 19 December 2019, GRDF SA v Eni Gas & Power France SA and Others, C-236/18, EU:C:2019:1120

  • Law Unification Decision of the Administrative Department of the Curia of Hungary No. 4/2010.

  • Nejvyšší správní soud České republiky judgment of 13 October 2010 No. 6 Ao 5/2010

  • No. EBH 2016.K.8. administrative decision of principle of the Curia (Supreme Court) of Hungary

  • Order of the General Court (First Chamber) of 23 November 2015, European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF) v European Commission, T-694/14, EU:T:2015:915

  • Order of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 10 October 2017, Greenpeace Energy v European Commission, C-640/16 P, EU:C:2017:752

  • Verwaltungsgerichtshof (VwGH) judgment of 27 April 2012 No. 2009/02/0239

  • B. International and EU Legislative Acts

  • Aarhus Convention—Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, done at Aarhus, Denmark, on 25 June 1998.

  • Aarhus Regulation—Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies, OJ L 264, 25.9.2006, pp. 13–19.

  • Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, pp. 391–407.

  • Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) adopted in Vienna on 17 June 1994 and entered into force on 24 October 1996.

  • Council Directive 96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996 laying down basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionizing radiation, OJ L 159, 29.6.1996, pp. 1–114.

  • Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations, OJ L 172, 2.7.2009, pp. 18–22.

  • Directive 2009/72/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/EC (Text with EEA relevance), OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, pp. 55–93.

  • Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC (Text with EEA relevance), OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, pp. 94–136.

  • Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (Text with EEA relevance), OJ L 334, 17.12.2010, pp. 17–119.

  • Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (Text with EEA relevance), OJ L 26, 28.1.2012, pp. 1–21.

  • Espoo (EIA) Convention—The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on EIA (environmental impact assessment) in transboundary context.

  • Euratom Treaty—Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, OJ C 327, 26.10.2012, pp. 1–107.

  • Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, pp. 47–390.

  • C. Hungarian Legislative Acts

  • Act No. III of 1952 on the Code of Civil Procedure, No longer in force

  • Act No. XXII of 2013 on Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority (HEA)

  • Act No. XXIX of 2011 on amending energy laws, No longer in force

  • Act No. XLIII of 2010 on central organs of state administration and the legal status of members of the Government and State Secretaries

  • Act No. LIV of 2013 on executing the reduction of utility rates

  • Act No. CXL of 2004 on the general rules of administrative proceedings and services, No longer in force

  • Act No. CLXVIII of 2012 on Public Utility Cable Tax

  • National Building Energy Performance Strategy (2015)

  • National Climate Change Strategy (2008–2025)

  • National Energy Efficiency Action Plan until 2020

  • National Energy Strategy until 2030 (NES 2030)

  • National Renewable Energy Action Plan until 2020

  • Ratification Act No. II of 2014—Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Hungary on cooperation on peaceful use of nuclear energy

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Szegedi, L. (2021). The Role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Reformulation of Hungarian Energy Policy. In: Mišík, M., Oravcová, V. (eds) From Economic to Energy Transition. Energy, Climate and the Environment. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55085-1_14

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