The functions of the Hungarian national security services, with special regard to the importance of the national security interest

Abstract

Aim: The author examines the constitutional functions of the Hungarian national security services and their role in the life of the state from the perspective of constitutional legal principles and the provisions of the Hungarian legal environment. In doing so, he shows how the idea of national security interest plays an essential role in the constitutional functions of national security.

Methodology: To this end, the author reviews the legislative environment of the national security services, from the provisions of the Basic Law to the details of the sectoral law governing the field. In doing so, several research methods are used in parallel, but primarily the scientific methods of statutory interpretation and the tools of theoretical-logical research are employed. In comparing the different disciplines, the emphasis has been placed on those results that examine aspects related to the functions of national security.

Findings: Whether the national security services act to protect the sovereign functioning or the lawful order of public life or to promote national security, no precise conceptual definition of each function can be established. Nor is there a precise interpretation of the necessary and obligatory components of the concept of national security interest, the precise definition of which is made difficult not only by the vagueness of the role of national security in public life, but also by the constantly changing security environment and the unpredictability of local, regional and global developments.

Value: The study provides a systematic overview of the role of national security services in state administration and the factors that determine it.