Codifcation of Hungarian Private (Civil) Law in a Domestic and International Comparison

Abstract

The study analyses the centuries-old process of the codification of private law (civil law) in Hungary. The author believes that the Roman law tradition in Hungary survived at both a legislative and a theoretical level. Romanist (mainly German Pandectist) influence can be observed in various draft civil codes of the country. The first Hungarian Civil Code, promulgated in 1959 and put into effect in 1960, was a socialist-style civil code. The procedure of harmonisation with the law in Europe influenced the new (second) Hungarian Civil Code promulgated in 2013.