Hungary Plans To Abolish Online Access to Court Hearings Shortly After Its Introduction

In September 2026, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a bill proposing to abolish the system of online public access to court hearings. The proposal comes only a few months after the relevant rules entered into force at the beginning of 2026.

What exactly did this “online access to court hearings” entail?

The ministerial decree introducing online access was intended to adapt the principle of open justice to the technological possibilities of the digital age. The system aimed to increase the transparency of civil, administrative and criminal proceedings and strengthen public oversight of the administration of justice, while reducing the time and costs incurred by citizens wishing to observe court hearings. The regulation was also intended to contribute to the modernisation of legal education and academic research. Access was straightforward: up to 100 registered adults could join a court hearing online after authentication.

Concerns regarding the new system

The National Judicial Council (OBT), however, expressed strong criticism of the new framework. Among its concerns, the OBT highlighted that online access could undermine the dignity of court proceedings. It also warned that the system could interfere with the proper taking of evidence and, particularly in criminal cases, jeopardise the effectiveness of proceedings. According to the OBT, the public interest in safeguarding these fundamental procedural requirements could not be overridden by the principle of public access to court hearings. In practice, the system had little time to become fully established. Several courts were also granted exemptions from implementing online access due to the lack of the necessary technical infrastructure.

A change in legislative approach

According to the explanatory memorandum to the new bill, the Government acknowledges that the original objectives of the regulation – strengthening public oversight and supporting legal education and academic research – remain legitimate. However, it considers that these objectives do not justify maintaining a system that may create disproportionate risks to the timely conduct of proceedings, the uninterrupted taking of evidence, the protection of personal data and the effective operation of the courts. The new laws bring Hungary’s short-lived experiment with general online public access to court hearings to an end, marking a shift in emphasis from broader digital accessibility towards procedural safeguards.