Overview:

• State privilege is extended to Christian groups.

• A system of vertical recognition exists in which there exists a four-tiered system entered into law in 2019; from the highest to lowest forms of recognition, the categories are “established church”, “registered church”, “listed church” and “religious association”; this system of vertical recognition does not comply with the Durham principles and establishes several barriers gaining equal recognition for all religious groups; although the categories within the system are not violative in and of themselves, it is their misuse by the government to segment religions into different levels validity that violates religious freedom.

• Part of the requirements for the different tiers are incremental membership quotas, incremental longevity quotas; the process of registration is also highly politicised due to the fact that parliament grants registration.

Positive elements:

• Bilateral cooperation agreements are made available for all religious groups irrespective of their registered positions within the system.

Recommendations:

• Establish provisions for existential recognition to be bestowed, not just legal registration.

• To become dynamic, the Hungarian government would need to allow for the establishment of a recognition agency independent of its control that would be able to manage the recognition system without politicisation.