Amendments to the governmental statute published in Magyar Közlöny
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (Miniszterelnökség), the governmental statute has been amended to clarify the tasks and powers of individual ministers, to make the chain of command in public administration clearer, and to strengthen cabinet‑based decision‑making. The majority of the changes take effect on September 1, 2026.
Key reallocations and clarifications
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The minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office (Miniszterelnökséget vezető miniszter) will have an expanded emphasis on administrative quality and personnel policy, matters related to public service career paths, and broader societal and governmental coordination.
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Several responsibilities related to e‑government and information technology are transferred to the Minister of Science and Technology; these include, among others, cybersecurity, national data‑asset management, and multiple government tasks connected to artificial intelligence.
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At the Ministry of Health, the statute makes the leadership of the healthcare institution system, public health and health insurance more explicit.
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The tasks of the Minister of Education and Child Affairs are supplemented with responsibilities such as unified leadership of early childhood intervention and oversight of the kindergarten education system.
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The Minister of Social and Family Affairs will additionally be responsible for child‑rights policy.
National security and defence arrangements
The amendment also clarifies national security, defence and security responsibilities. The organisational supervision of the National Information Centre (Nemzeti Információs Központ) and the Defence Administration Office (Védelmi Igazgatási Hivatal) will be exercised by the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office. However, the direction of other civilian and military national security services remains divided among several ministries:
- Constitutional Protection Office (Alkotmányvédelmi Hivatal), National Defence Service (Nemzeti Védelmi Szolgálat) and National Security Service (Nemzetbiztonsági Szakszolgálat) fall under the Interior Minister.
- Information Office (Információs Hivatal) remains under the Foreign Minister.
- Military National Security Service (Katonai Nemzetbiztonsági Szolgálat) is under the Defence Minister.
Contrary to some press reports, the amendment does not place the entire national security and defence system under the minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office. Overall government coordination in these areas continues to be the responsibility of the prime minister’s national security chief advisor. The statute explicitly states that the chief advisor ensures cross‑government coordination of defence and security activities within the government’s remit and coordinates contact with the NATO Resilience Committee bodies.
Strengthening the role of cabinets
The statute sets out clear frameworks for the operation of government cabinets and strengthens the role of the Defence Cabinet. Cabinets exercise decision‑making authority within their respective fields. The specifically named cabinets are:
- Strategic Cabinet
- Economic and Budget Cabinet
- Development Cabinet
- Defence Cabinet
The Defence Cabinet’s decision‑making powers cover, among other areas, defence, public safety, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, civilian intelligence and the direction of civilian national security services, as well as the coordination of defence and security activities.
Competences of the Development Cabinet
The Development Cabinet is responsible, inter alia, for state investments, repatriation and utilisation of EU funds, transport, housing policy, public procurement, and regional and rural development.
Purpose and rationale
According to the government, the changes aim to establish clear lines of responsibility, reduce overlaps between actors and accelerate decision‑making. The amendments reallocate or clarify tasks particularly in areas such as e‑government, cybersecurity, data‑asset management, artificial intelligence and early childhood care.
Entry into force
The Prime Minister’s Office states that the bulk of the amendments enter into force on September 1, 2026.
Lead image source: EU
Tags: cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, defence, Prime Minister’s Office, government, public administration, national security, cabinet, Hungarian government, Tisza government
