Hungary has moved to amend its controversial child protection law after the European Union's top court ruled against the legislation, marking a significant reversal for Budapest in its long-running standoff with Brussels over the measure.

The decision to revise the law, reported on 18 June 2025 by Euronews, signals that the Hungarian government intends to bring the statute into line with the EU court's judgment rather than continue open defiance of the bloc's legal order — at least on paper. The amendment process now begins against a backdrop of ongoing scrutiny from EU institutions.

What did the court decide?

The EU court found against Hungary over the child protection law, which Brussels had challenged as incompatible with Union law. The judgment was the culmination of legal proceedings brought against Budapest over the legislation, which had drawn sustained criticism from European institutions since its adoption.

The court's ruling against Hungary meant the legislation could not stand in its existing form. Faced with that binding judgment, the Hungarian government has now opened the path to legislative amendment — the standard route for a member state that loses a case before the EU judiciary and must conform its national law to the ruling.

Why is Hungary amending the law now?

The timing follows directly from the court's decision. A member state that loses before the EU court is obliged to take measures to comply with the judgment. Continued non-compliance exposes the state to fresh infringement proceedings and, ultimately, financial penalties imposed by the same court at the Commission's request.

By moving to amend the statute, Budapest appears to be choosing the route of formal compliance. Whether the amended text will satisfy the Commission and the court, however, remains to be seen. Previous disputes between Hungary and Brussels have turned on whether legislative changes genuinely implement EU rulings or merely restate the contested measures in modified form.

What does this mean for practitioners?

For lawyers advising clients with interests in Hungary — broadcasters, publishers, advocacy organisations and public-sector bodies affected by the law — the development matters on two levels. First, the amendment process creates a window in which the scope of the statute may shift, and compliance advice should be revisited once the revised text is published. Second, the case is another marker in the broader enforcement dynamic between the Commission and Budapest, relevant to any assessment of regulatory risk in the Hungarian market.

What happens next?

The amendment bill must pass through the Hungarian legislative process before the changes take effect. The European Commission, for its part, will assess whether the revised law brings Hungary into compliance with the court's judgment. If Brussels considers the response inadequate, it can return to the EU court to seek penalties.

The episode closes one chapter in the dispute over the child protection law while leaving the practical question — what the amended statute will actually say — to the coming legislative cycle.