Foreword

The principal aim of the OECD Environmental Performance Review programme is to help member and selected partner countries improve their individual and collective performance in environmental management by:

  • helping individual governments assess progress in achieving their environmental goals

  • promoting continuous policy dialogue and peer learning

  • stimulating greater accountability from governments towards each other and public opinion.

This report reviews Hungary’s environmental performance since the second review in 2008. Progress in achieving domestic objectives and international commitments provides the basis for assessing the country’s environmental performance. Such objectives and commitments may be broad aims, qualitative goals or quantitative targets. A distinction is made between intentions, actions and results. Assessment of environmental performance is also placed within the context of Hungary’s historical environmental record, present state of the environment, physical endowment in natural resources, economic conditions and demographic trends.

The OECD is grateful to the government of Hungary for its co-operation in providing information, for the organisation of the review mission to Budapest (29 May to 2 June 2017) and for facilitating contacts both inside and outside government institutions.

Thanks are also due to the representatives of the two examining countries, Andrea Nouak (Austria) and Bogusława Brzdąkiewicz (Poland).

The authors of this report were Carla Bertuzzi, Ivana Capozza, Nathalie Cliquot and Eugene Mazur from the OECD Environment Directorate and Rachel Samson of Carist Consulting. Nathalie Girouard provided oversight and guidance. Carla Bertuzzi also provided statistical support; Annette Hardcastle and Natasha Cline-Thomas provided editorial and administrative support; and Mark Foss copy-edited the report. Preparation of this report also benefited from comments from several members of the OECD Secretariat, including Katia Karousakis of the Environment Directorate, Jens-Christian Hoj and Paul O’Brien of the Economics Department, Kurt van Dender and Luisa Dressler of the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, and Juan Casado Asensio of the Development Co-operation Directorate.

The OECD Working Party on Environmental Performance discussed the draft Environmental Performance Review of Hungary at its meeting on 13 February 2018 in Paris, and approved the Assessment and Recommendations.