President of Hungary, Pal Schmitt signing the country's New Constitution on Easter Monday

Hungary’s new Constitution that was adopted on April 18 was signed by the country’s president Pál Schmitt on April 25. The new Constitution lays greater emphasis on the protection of environment and of the interests of future generations than the previous one. In the beginning of the drafting process, environmental interests seemed to be under threat since the Constitution did not include the right to a healthy environment. Many including the Hungarian environmental civil sector and the European Environmental Bureau raised their voices in the protection of this important human right which eventually resulted in the integration of the right among the basic human rights in the final text. Also the status of the environmental ombudsman was to be significantly changed, transforming it from an independent position into one of the deputies of the main ombudsman under its appointment. While part of this change took place, the deputy environmental ombudsman will still be elected by the legislature directly, ensuring it more independence and prestige. Altogether the new Consitution creates a solid basis for furthering sustainability, as was of the opinion the current environmental ombudsman dr. Sándor Fülöp, one of the co-founders of TAI, as well.