Publications
HOW TO EMPLOY NON-EEA NATIONALS IN HUNGARY? PART II – THE EMPLOYMENT OF ORDINARY WORKERS
After introducing the types of residence permits for employment purposes in our previous article, this time we will examine in detail the forms of employing “ordinary workers” in Hungary based on the new legal environment. By “ordinary workers” we mean workers who do not belong to the category of highly competent employees, which will be discussed in the next part of this series.
Smartlegal Schmidt&Partners reports from Hungary:
HOW TO EMPLOY NON-EEA NATIONALS IN HUNGARY? PART I – RESIDENCE TITLES AND PROCEDURAL RULES
In the first quarter of 2024, the Hungarian lawmaker created a completely new legal environment for the employment of third-country nationals and introduced special residence titles. We will introduce the new legal regime in a series of articles, the first part of which will cover the types of residence permits for employment purposes and the procedural rules.
Smartlegal Schmidt&Partners reports from Hungary:
CAN A COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT BYPASS THE GDPR’S PRINCIPLES? – THE CJEU DECIDED
Multinational company groups often use unified ERP software which frequently involve processing employee data. In such cases, it may be necessary to transfer personal data to a non-EU based country and the legal basis of the transfer might be a collective agreement. But how far does the contractual freedom of the parties to a collective agreement extend? Can the general principles of the GDPR be circumvented? In our article, we analysed the recent decision of the CJEU which provides an answer to this question.
CRIMINAL LAW UPDATE: LEGAL NOTICES VIA WHATSAPP NOT PERMISSIBLE, RULES SUPREME COURT
The Supreme Court in Satendra Kumar Anil v. Central Bureau of Investigation has reiterated that notices under Section 41-A of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (“CrPC”), and Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (“BNSS”), cannot be served through WhatsApp or any other electronic messaging platforms.
Israel and GDPR: A New Era of Privacy Regulation
In 2024, Israel became the latest jurisdiction to introduce comprehensive privacy legislation, drawing significant inspiration from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). On August 5, 2024, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, approved...
Israel’s Milestone in Modernizing International Commercial Arbitration
On February 12, 2024, Israel took a significant step toward establishing itself as a modern hub for international commercial dispute resolution with the enactment of the International Commercial Arbitration Law (the International Arbitration Law). This...
The Advantages of Conducting Mediation in Israel Under the Singapore Convention
On July 22, 2024, the Israeli legislature enacted an amendment to the Courts Law [Consolidated Version], 5744-1984, strengthening Israel's position as a global center for mediation. This amendment empowers Israeli courts to recognize and enforce mediation agreements...
NEW RULES ON ATTORNEY’S FEES IN HUNGARY – CHANGES FROM FEBRUARY 2025
Following a landmark decision of the Hungarian Supreme Court (our article about the decision can be found here), the Hungarian legislator adopted a new decree, applicable from February 2025, on the attorney fees applicable in court proceedings. The main aim of the new regulation is to limit the unreasonable reductions of attorneys’ fees. What changes will the new decree bring to the attorney’s fees?
Smartlegal Schmidt&Partners reports from Hungary:

HOW TO TRANSMIT PERSONAL DATA TO THIRD COUNTRIES AS A MULTINATIONAL EMPLOYER?
For multinational employers, it is almost inevitable to transfer personal data to so called third countries meaning countries outside the European Economic Area. In many cases, the company group may have members resident in non-EEA countries who need to process personal data of EU-resident employees or a third party residing outside the EEA may provide a service to the company group that involves processing of personal data. In this article we deal with the question of how such personal data transfers to third countries may be made GDPR compliant.
Smartlegal Schmidt&Partners reports from Hungary:

HOW CAN YOU MONITOR YOUR EMPLOYEE’S CORPORATE E-MAIL ACCOUNT IN HUNGARY?
It is a common practice to provide your employee with a corporate e-mail account for working purposes. In some cases, the employer needs to examine the employee’s e-mail account, for example to ensure the continuous management of cases during the absence of the employee. How can you legally monitor your employee’s e-mail account? Here are five things to consider.
Smartlegal Schmidt&Partners reports from Hungary: