The government’s aim is to turn Hungary into a younger and multiplying nation.
Katalin Novák, the minister of State for Family and Youth Affairs at the Ministry of Human Capacities highlighted the country’s position on Wednesday in Tusnádfürdő.
During the stage discussion entitled “A Sustainable Society, A Sustainable Nation” held at the 29th Bálványos Summer Open University and Student Camp (Tusványos), Novák pointed out that today there is not a single European nation where children are born in sufficient numbers, and yet in public discourse the reasons for this are not being tackled.
The minister said social research proves that the Hungarian people are family-centered, those in their twenties would typically like to be married with several children. Despite this, in ten families today no more than 15 children are born, and this, too, represents a major step forward compared with the fact that at the 2011 low point only 12 children were born in every ten families.
Novák highlighted that it is important that the demographic trend which has changed in response to the family-friendly policy introduced in 2010 should prove a long-term one.
She revealed that the number of abortions has decreased by 30 percent in the past few years, and the infant mortality rate is also on the decrease. Hungary “goes against” the European trend also in this respect, she added.
“We would not like external resources, we do not rely on immigration. Instead we say that we would like to better use our internal resources. We would like to induce long-term changes,” she concluded.