As of March 2003 Act LV of 2002 on Mediation (the "Act"), came into force. This area has not yet been regulated any time before in Hungary. The scope of the Act is to provide a dispute resolution procedure for parties to a conflict with the participation of a third party mediator and to assist the parties in concluding a settlement agreement in relation to the dispute. The scope of the Act is somewhat limited, certain types of conflicts are excluded from its scope.
Only listed practitioners may provide mediation services. The Ministry of Justice maintains a list of mediators licensed after an administrative procedure. Any private individual with a university degree, and five years of practice in the same area (if other general conditions are also met) may be registered as a mediator. Also, legal organisations (e.g. law firms) may be authorised to provide mediation services if mediation is registered among their activities in their deed of foundation and if they prove that they have
