Milestone or Boundary Mark? Reflections on the New Administrative Penal Code

Abstract

The Hungarian Act on Minor Offences and Contraventions (2012) fundamentally changed the context of this legal area established in 1955 within the legal system. However, the new legislation created a so-called “criminal legal body” of minor offences that brings new direction to the constitutional review of administrative sanctioning system, too. Thus the new Act is a milestone in the codification process of administrative sanctioning that puts new emphasis on the necessity of a framework legislation for administrative penalties.