Hungary

Hungary could be first in EU to introduce new GMO regulations (May 11, 2015)
“Hungary could be the first to introduce the new European Union regulations allowing countries to ban the cultivation of GMO crops”, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Deputy State Secretary for Environmental Affairs told Hungarian news agency MTI in Berlin.
Read more on the Hungarian Government Website.

THE FUNDAMENTAL LAW OF HUNGARY (25 April 2011)
Article XX
(1) Everyone shall have the right to physical and mental health.
(2) Hungary shall promote the effective application of the right referred to in Paragraph (1) by an agriculture free of genetically modified organisms, by ensuring access to healthy food and drinking water, by organising safety at work and healthcare provision, by supporting sports and regular physical exercise, as well as by ensuring the protection of the environment.

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National: In January 2005, Hungary banned the cultivation of Monsanto’s maize MON 810. In 2010, Hungary also banned the BASF´s Amflora potato, and filed a suit at the European Court of Justice against its approval. In December 2013, the European Court of Justice ruled against the Commission and annulled the authorization of Amflora potato.

Regional: Since 2005, there have been two regions in Hungary declared as GMO-free: Southern Transdanubia and Western Transdanubia. 5 counties are GMO-free: Győr-Moson Sopron, Fejér, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Hajdú-Bihar and Bács-Kiskun, one of the biggest grain producing county in Hungary.

Local: There are 88 GMO-free municipalities engaged either to declaring their territory a GMO-free zone, or to following a GMO-free policy in their services, or to enhancing and supporting GMO-free agriculture with all the possible ways. The Galga-menti small region, composed of 18 municipalities has also declared GMO-free.

(Updated June 2014) Information provided by FIDRICH Robert (Fidusz) at MTVSZ/FOE Hungary 

30.01.2009: Hungary to defy European Commission call to scrap ban on GMO crops

Hungary will keep its ban on GMO (genetically modified organisms) maize imports and the planting of GMO seeds, Agriculture Ministry undersecretary Zoltan Gogos announced.
The European Commission recently called on Hungary to entirely lift its GMO ban. Last week the EU's executive arm backed proposals that would grant standard ten-year licences for the two GMO maize types. Hungary, one of the region's biggest grain producers, became the first country in eastern Europe to ban GMO crops and foods in 2005, when it outlawed the planting of MON 810 maize seeds, which are marketed by the US biotech company Monsanto. Hungary Around the Clock, Hungary: Hungary to defy European Commission call to scrap ban on GMO crops