Hungary

[HU] Act on Electronic Signature Entered into Force

IRIS 2001-9:1/29

Gabriella Cseh

Budapest

On 29 May 2001, the Hungarian Parliament adopted Act XXXV of 2001 on Electronic Signature ("the Act"). Most provisions of the Act entered into force on 1 September 2001.

The Act covers the scope of the utilization of electronic signatures and the legal conditions for the acceptance of electronic signatures. The Act also specifies the level of security that an electronic document must reach in order to be considered valid and the legal consequences of using electronic documents and services related to electronic signatures. The Act also sets forth the substantive and procedural rules on related validation services and contains a separate title on relevant data processing and data protection regulations. Furthermore, the Act stipulates the obligations and powers of the Hungarian Communications Authority in regard to the evaluation and registration of such signatures.

The Act is fully in compliance with relevant European Union legislation and recommendations, for instance Article 9 of 2000/31/EC Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on "Electronic Commerce".