Law and sustainability: The impact of the Hungarian legal structure on the sustainability of the water services

This article shows how the regulatory framework of urban water services has changed in Hungary following the change of political regime. Regarding service provisions, political, technical, environmental, and social decisions were made. The legal forms of the decisions vary. Most commonly, they take the form of legislative and/or administrative measures or contracts. The legal character of the decisions determines what kind of actors could be involved in the decision-making process, how those decisions could be controlled in a market economy and how they influence directly or indirectly the sustainability of the water supply and sanitation.