Will Hungary ban energy drinks to all?

It will soon become challenging to buy energy drinks in Hungary as these popular products are facing a ban. Lőrinc Nacsa and István Hollik, both members of the parliamentary group of the co-ruling KDNP (Christian Democratic People’s Party), submitted the relevant bill yesterday. Given PM Orbán and his governing parties (Fidesz and KDNP) hold a 2/3rd majority, their proposals are typically passed into law. However, there are instances when public outcry forces Orbán to reconsider a new regulation, as seen in a few exceptions.

There have been rare occasions when PM Orbán had to backtrack and withdraw a bill or regulation, especially concerning significant issues. One such example was the Hungarian Internet Tax, which sparked widespread protests. The government aimed to impose a tax rate of 150 HUF per GB on internet service providers, but the public quickly grasped that consumers would bear the burden. Consequently, peaceful mass demonstrations ensued, leading the government to abandon the proposed tax.

However, in the case of energy drinks, we are unlikely to witness a similar public outcry. The initiative to prohibit the sale of such beverages to minors stems from Lőrinc Nacsa and István Hollik, two KDNP lawmakers. According to portfolio.hu, if the parliament approves the bill, it would become illegal to sell energy drinks to customers under 18. We covered the background of this proposal in a previous article HERE.