Environment
The issues of environmental protection and controls are becoming more important to Hungarian citizens. Nowadays the community is increasingly involved in lobbying the government on the issue of the environment, which has resulted in more stringent pollution controls. Environmental projects are mainly driven by the demands laid down under European Union (EU) law with which Hungary must comply when they joined the EU.
Hungary is determined to clean up its country in an attempt to attract greater amounts of foreign investment and to continue to promote Hungary as a major centre for business and tourism in Central Eastern Europe.
Air pollution is a serious problem in Hungary’s capital Budapest and the historical industrial areas of the northeast. There are serious health concerns over the exhaust fumes from old-style vehicles and fine dust. These are also affecting the country’s historic buildings. A number of measures have been introduced with the main objective of reducing car emissions:
Leaded petrol has been banned
Tram, bus and trolley networks in the country’s capital have been improved to try to reduce commuting by car
Western cars have been replacing the polluting Soviet-era models
All new cars are now fitted with catalytic converters
A ban on two-stroke engines
Hungary is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and is creating legislation to reduce emissions that harm the ozone layer and affect climate change.
Water pollution has increased with the expansion of major cities like Budapest. Hungary also faces the problem of having neighbouring countries polluting the water, which then flows into the country. The Hungarian Government is working with its neighbours to combat this problem.
A major concern is the fact that only a small percentage of the country’s sewerage is treated, the remainder causing pollution to Hungary’s waterways. Some of the sewerage and water supply pipes are more then 90 years old. These will need to be replaced or rehabilitated to prevent serious problems arising from bursting pipes. Although Hungary has built sewerage treatment plants in major cities, more needs to be done to meet EU standards
