Organisation and membership
Schedule
Agenda
The preparation of submissions
The preparation of decisions
Decision making and recording
Implementation of decisions
Legislative and regulatory procedures

Subordinate Bodies of the Council of Ministers

Organisation and membership

Meetings of the Government are attended by all members of Government: the Prime Minister (who chairs the meeting), ministers and ministers without portfolio.

The Administrative State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office attends all meetings and ensures that all decisions are recorded. Other permanent observers are the Head of the Prime Minister's Cabinet, the Political State Secretaries of the Prime Minister's Office, the Administrative State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, the Administrative Deputy State Secretary in charge of legal issues in the Prime Minister's Office, the Government spokesperson and President of Central Statistical Office.

The Political State Secretaries of ministries are not members of the Government, they may participate on behalf of their Ministers without the right to vote.

Besides the members of the Government and the permanent observers, the persons submitting the proposal and the persons invited by the Prime Minister are also present at the meetings of the Government in an advisory capacity. The President of the Hungarian National Bank shall be invited to the negotiation of the agenda items affecting his jurisdiction.

Back to top

Meetings are ordinarily held once a week on Thursday morning. Extraordinary meetings are held on an ad hoc basis at weekends.

Back to top

The Administrative State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office compiles the recommended agenda for the meetings and sends it to the participants; the final agenda is decided by the Government.

The proposals and reports submitted to the Government meetings shall previously be discussed at the Administrative State Secretaries meeting, whose function is to be a forum for the general administrative preparation of decisions of the Government. The Administrative State Secretaries’ meeting prepares the next week's agenda of the Government.

Back to top

In addition to submissions by the members of the Government, proposals may be submitted to the Government by the Administrative State Secretary and Political State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office on the basis of a Government decision or the authorisation of the Prime Minister; by the President of the Central Statistical Office; the heads of the national authorities (with the consent of the Government member exercising supervision over them) and the government commissioners on issues affecting their jurisdiction, as well as by other organisations and persons pursuant to a Government decision or with the prior consent of the Prime Minister.

Proposals shall be submitted to the Prime Minister's Office a minimum of five working days preceding the meeting of Administrative State Secretaries. The proposals must indicate the results of administrative consultation.

In order to facilitate discussions of policy issues, on priority areas of society, economy and national security, the Government established Cabinets.

As part of decision preparation, the Cabinets can return the submitted proposals for revision, request further clarification, and define other tasks related to preparation. The position it takes concerning decision preparation is binding upon its members, including the Head of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet shall formulate a position on the merits of the issues raised in the proposals. In its position, the Cabinet gives its opinion and makes recommendations for decisions for the Government.

The Cabinet shall take its decisions with a simple majority of votes.

Back to top

The Prime Minister's Office has to arrange for the recording of Government decisions.

Back to top

The memorandum on the decisions of the Government are distributed to the members of the Government, to the permanent observers of the Government meetings, and to the Administrative and Political State Secretaries.

The decrees, resolutions, position statements and guidelines of the Government shall be announced (published) or sent to the parties concerned within eight days following the meeting, except when the Prime Minister specifies a different deadline.

The resolutions of the Government shall generally be published in the Hátarozatok Tára (Thesaurus of Resolutions). The Government may also order the publication of significant resolutions in the Magyar Közlöny (Hungarian Gazette).

Pursuant to a Government decision, the Prime Minister's Office shall send in duplicate the following directly to the parties concerned:

(a) resolutions containing state or service secrets,

(b) resolutions which involve no financial commitments specifying tasks exclusively for the members of Government, government commissioners, heads of national authorities.

The Prime Minister's Office shall prepare a report on a monthly basis on the implementation of tasks within a deadline specified in Government resolution. The person responsible for implementation shall give a written account of the reasons for any failure to meet the deadlines. The report, including recommendations for the implementation deadlines of various tasks required in the Government resolutions, shall be submitted to the Government by the Administrative State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office.

The Prime Minister may require a minister or head of a national authority to report on the implementation of a task set by the Government.

Back to top

The respective ministries prepare the drafts of legislation, decrees and resolutions. The Minister of Justice is responsible for reviewing legislative and regulatory drafts to ensure their compatibility with the European Union legislation.

Back to top

Cabinets and several committees prepare decisions and are the co-ordinating and supervisory bodies of the Government. The Government can create standing committees and ad hoc committees. Usually a committee has no authority to take a decision, unless empowered to do so by the government.

The Government Cabinet is chaired by the Prime Minister and its members are:

• the Minister of the Interior,
• the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
• the Minister of Finance,
• the Minister of Agriculture and Regional Development,
• the Minister without portfolio leading the Prime Minister's Office, and
• the Minister without portfolio supervising the civil national security services.

The Economic Cabinet is chaired by the Minister of Economy and its secretary is the Political State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy. Its members are:

• the Minister of Agriculture and Regional Development,
• the Minister of Transport, Telecommunications and Water Management, and
• the Minister of Finance.

The National Security Cabinet is chaired by the Minister of the Interior and its secretary is the Political State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior. Its members are:

• the Minister of Defence,
• the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
• the Minister of Justice,
• the minister without portfolio supervising the civil national security services, and
• the minister without portfolio leading the Prime Minister's Office.

The Office of the Head of Government

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has three main functions:

• assisting the Prime Minister to develop policies by providing him or her with information, co-ordination and political and professional advice;
• strengthening and co-ordinating the activities of the Government by organising government sessions and finalising (in written form) the Government's decisions; and
• providing an organisational framework for the ministers without portfolio and political state secretaries of the Prime Minister's Office.

The administrative head of the PMO is a minister without portfolio who is responsible not only for the functioning of the office but also for co-ordinating the work of the Government and preparing Government sessions.

The personal advisers and a group of staff advisers (Advisory Body) are immediately subordinate to the Prime Minister. They are responsible for proposing solutions to the most pressing policy problems.

In the framework of the PMO, the Cabinet Office which is headed by a Political State Secretary, provides day-to-day assistance to the Prime Minister.

The PMO includes five Political State Secretaries who report directly to the Prime Minister. They oversee special activities of the PMO (for example, the development of the public administration and the regional policy).