Hungarian parlt adopts law on digital citizenship and anti-discrimination regulations

Parliament on Wednesday adopted a law on a new scheme dubbed Digital Citizenship (DAP) to be launched in the autumn of 2024.

The programme will allow citizens to conduct their businesses, show IDs and provide e-signatures using their mobile phones. Later on, the scheme will cover the payment of public utility bills.

From September 1 next year, the DAP can be used for full identification, for submitting applications to authorities for certificates or for conducting the most common personal businesses.

The circle of digitally accessible services will be significantly expanded in 2025 and, in a consecutive phase, in 2026.

The DAP is a cloud-based application and optional for citizens, but older, conventional methods for using services would also remain in place.

The scheme has been developed in line with the EU’s new Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services (eIDAS) regulatory framework.

The law was approved with 113 votes in favour, 37 against and 13 abstentions.

Lawmakers on Wednesday adopted anti-discrimination regulations in public education. The law approved with 143 votes in favour, 6 against and 12 abstentions will enter into force in January next year.

In line with the law, central budget support for the operator of primary schools could be reduced by 10 percent if they fail to offer education to disadvantaged students at the legally regulated level.

Interior ministry state secretary Bence Retvari said during the debate of the law that sanctions against those schools that failed to comply had not been “sufficiently resolute”, as also pointed out by the European Union.

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Source: MTI