Joint statement of NGOs on the long-term protection of Hungary's lakes and natural environment

The document argues that Hungarian freshwater lakes, including Lake Balaton, Lake Fertő, Tata Old Lake, and Lake Velence, are facing irreversible environmental risks from state and private tourism investments. The NGOs claim that Hungarian national legislation has been used to streamline permitting processes and limit the ability of the public and NGOs to challenge harmful projects, potentially violating EU Habitats and EIA Directives. They specifically request an infringement procedure regarding a complaint about a 60-hectare tourism complex at Lake Fertő.

• Four major Hungarian freshwater lakes—Lake Balaton, Lake Fertő, Tata Old Lake, and Lake Velence—are identified as biodiversity hotspots and Ramsar sites that provide critical habitats for priority species such as the Root vole, Mud loach, and various protected birds including the Spoonbill and Ferruginous Duck.
• The NGOs allege that Hungarian national legislation, starting with the Act CXXVIII of 2003 and continuing through subsequent acts up to 2019, has systematically limited public participation and transparency in the classification and permitting of 'priority' economic investments.
• Specific examples of problematic tourism developments are cited: a 60-hectare complex at Lake Fertő involving water regime modifications, hotel projects in Siófok and Balatonaliga at Lake Balaton, and private hotel investments at the shores of Tata Old Lake and Lake Velence enabled by changes to local building regulations.
• The NGOs request that the European Commission initiate an infringement procedure based on complaint CHAP(2020)00230, arguing that 'exceptional' regulations are being used to bypass environmental assessments and public participation requirements mandated by the EU Habitats and EIA Directives.

APA

ClientEarth (2021). Joint statement of NGOs on the long-term protection of Hungary's lakes and natural environment. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tvspmnnv/2021-02-24-open-letter-of-eu-ngos-to-the-european-commission-re-hungarian-great-lakes-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Joint statement of NGOs on the long-term protection of Hungary's lakes and natural environment. 2021. https://www.clientearth.org/media/tvspmnnv/2021-02-24-open-letter-of-eu-ngos-to-the-european-commission-re-hungarian-great-lakes-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Joint statement of NGOs on the long-term protection of Hungary's lakes and natural environment |date=24 February 2021 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/tvspmnnv/2021-02-24-open-letter-of-eu-ngos-to-the-european-commission-re-hungarian-great-lakes-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2021joint, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Joint statement of NGOs on the long-term protection of Hungary's lakes and natural environment}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/tvspmnnv/2021-02-24-open-letter-of-eu-ngos-to-the-european-commission-re-hungarian-great-lakes-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }