Even with this dire forecast, Hungary is still around the average rate of population decline in the EU, according to Eurostat.Continue reading
Prosperous families are key to sustainable development, a concept uniting environmental, social and economic aspects, Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Friday, addressing a conference on family and sustainability.
Varga told the 10th Large Family Conference, a three-day event held in Keszthely, western Hungary, that “credible climate and environment protection is the foundation of family-friendly policies” as it works to ensure a healthy environment and sustainable lifestyle for current and future generations.
The Hungarian government sees effective climate action as a priority, and its climate and nature protection action plan included subsidies for large families purchasing electric cars and support for installing solar panels and modern heating solutions, she said.
Greeting the conference in a video message, Katalin Novák, the minister responsible for family and youth affairs, said families and children “are instrumental for sustainability”. Children are a resource for their parents, family and the nation, she said.
The Hungarian government works to remove financial obstacles from the way of families, so they can raise as many children as they want, Novák said. It has raised family support three-fold since it came to power in 2010, and it is planning to refund the personal income tax of families raising children next year, she said. She also cited the home purchase subsidy system, the exemption of mothers raising four or more children from PIT, and other steps as examples.
Dubravka Suica, the European Commission’s Vice-President for demography and democracy, said families should be supported “regardless of their size or structure.”
The European continent is grappling with the ageing of its population, Suice said, and called for solidarity between generations.
The conference was organised by the European Large Families Confederation and Hungary’s National Association of Large Families.
Featured photo via Judit Varga’s Facebook page