Domestic Soft Law Regulation During the COVID-lockdown in Hungary: A Novel Regulatory Approach to a Unique Global Challenge

Abstract

On 13 March 2020 the Hungarian Government announced the immediate closure of all schools throughout the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Several hundred thousand children were suddenly faced with learning from home and teachers scrambled to ensure the provision of ongoing education. Responding to the situation, the Hungarian Educational Authority hurried to assist schools and nursery schools by issuing recommendations on the use of digital tools in providing education, information and correspondence. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the special legal order consequently introduced by the Hungarian Government, Hungary has seen the emergence of such non-binding measures adopted by public entities, in particular, national administrative authorities, bodies and agencies. These forms of soft law have complemented governmental action taken in the fight against the pandemic, with the aim of providing guidance to ‘external addressees’, such as businesses, schools and bodies exercising a public service function. The protective measures adopted under the special legal order, including soft law norms, are deemed to be successful and largely followed by the addressees. Since soft law has hitherto been neglected by both Hungarian administrative governance and legal literature, the recent burgeoning of non-binding measures deserves scholarly attention. In this article, we set out to map the specific context of the emerging domestic soft law, the conditions for their adoption as well as their reception, relying on our case study conducted in respect of the recommendations of the National Educational Authority.

On 13 March 2020 the Hungarian Government announced the immediate closure of all schools throughout the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Several hundred thousand children were suddenly faced with learning from home and teachers scrambled to ensure the provision of ongoing education. Responding to the situation, the Hungarian Educational Authority hurried to assist schools and nursery schools by issuing recommendations on the use of digital tools in providing education, information and correspondence. During the COVID-19 pandemic and the special legal order consequently introduced by the Hungarian Government, Hungary has seen the emergence of such non-binding measures adopted by public entities, in particular, national administrative authorities, bodies and agencies. These forms of soft law have complemented governmental action taken in the fight against the pandemic, with the aim of providing guidance to ‘external addressees’, such as businesses, schools and bodies exercising a public service function. The protective measures adopted under the special legal order, including soft law norms, are deemed to be successful and largely followed by the addressees. Since soft law has hitherto been neglected by both Hungarian administrative governance and legal literature, the recent burgeoning of non-binding measures deserves scholarly attention. In this article, we set out to map the specific context of the emerging domestic soft law, the conditions for their adoption as well as their reception, relying on our case study conducted in respect of the recommendations of the National Educational Authority.