Hydrogen economy, regulatory gaps, excise taxation, explosion safety, disaster management protocols

The development of hydrogen-based transport and energy storage depends on a coherent regulatory framework adapted to the technology’s specific characteristics. Based on an analysis of the Hungarian regulatory environment, this study argues that hydrogen-related rules remain fragmented, creating administrative burdens and investment uncertainty for market participants. The paper examines taxation, urban planning, occupational safety, and fire protection rules, with particular attention to deficiencies in excise regulation and the safety-technical gaps of the National Hydrogen Strategy. The analysis shows that the lack of defined excise tax rates, the quality assurance shortcomings of NFM Decree 17/2017, and the strict installation restrictions of the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Framework hinder both investment and the development of residential hydrogen infrastructure. In the absence of detailed domestic rules, market actors and authorities are often forced to rely on international standards, which only partly compensate for regulatory gaps. The study concludes that technological development has outpaced legislation and that targeted legal intervention is needed. It proposes the adoption of an independent hydrogen-specific disaster management guide, the harmonisation of intervention protocols with domestic legal frameworks, and the supplementation of the Technical Guidelines for Fire Protection with explosion-protection requirements. The findings underline that the objectives of the National Hydrogen Strategy cannot be achieved without integrating safety-technical considerations and resolving permitting anomalies affecting green technologies. The article offers a regulatory roadmap for legislators and technical planners seeking to reduce risks arising from the current regulatory hiatus.

HASULYÓ, GÁBOR