The importance of the family was emphasized by European leaders
The importance of the family and the need to solve demographic problems were emphasized by European leaders on the Budapest Demographic Summit III.
At a two-day international conference in the Castle Garden Bazaar, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic emphasized that it is right to bring demographic change to the forefront of current challenges, among those, which require immediate action. It is important for the future of all countries, Central Europe and the entire continent to solve these problems, he said. He added: Serbia is ready to work with Hungary and other Central European countries to tackle the demographic challenge. He thought it was right to organise a demographic summit because they could learn from each other here. European countries are facing the challenges of an aging population, falling birth rates and migration, which provides many opportunities for cooperation and sharing of best practices, he pointed out.
The Serbian President praised the Hungarian family policy measures, which have improved demographics, so he said they will serve the satisfaction of the whole Hungarian society. He said that family policy results are only visible in the long term, so hard work and a lot of effort are still needed. Serbia is trying to build a state-of-the-art, high-quality state so that young people can plan their future and have children, he added. He noted that Serbian-Hungarian relations are at an unprecedented level, and in this regard the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's dedicated work must be commended.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that demographic change is not as a popular topic as climate change, but that shrinking populations can have equally serious consequences in our countries. The good state can be recognised by the fact that people are not afraid of their future, the population is growing, but not through migration. He has explained in details: Central Europe is an area where it is good to live and where families are provided adequate opportunities. In the Visegrád region, not only good economic situation and security are the primary goals, but also the development of good family policy - he emphasized. He noted that it is important to provide family-friendly opportunities for mothers who return to work and that, overall, there is a need for effective family policies that meet the needs of today's young people. Andrej Babis has pointed out that many families do not have a third child for economic reasons, although the birth of third children must be encouraged, and this is where the role of the state arises. We need to find ways to support families with three children, he said. According to the Czech Prime Minister, the consequences of the demographic problems will only really be felt in decades, but it is good that they are already being addressed.
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said there is a need for policies that support families and do not want to increase population through migration. Hungary's family-friendly program is unique, and it takes political courage to encourage population growth, so other countries need to study it, he said. in his point of view, if fewer children are born in Western countries, these states will be smaller and weaker, which is a particular disadvantage in a world where countries compete with each other. He said the West's shrinkage is expected to accelerate, so the world order may change over time. The problem for the West is that other countries are getting bigger and richer, he explained. He said that while migration can increase the population, many Western European countries have experienced that immigrants are unable to integrate, which is a burden on society.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the pursuit of a strong demographic policy a goal of the state and a government task. The Prime Minister said that the demographic solution to migration should be kept away, along with the "nonsense" green argument that the Earth would do better if fewer children were born. Viktor Orbán also said that a tipping point in the family support system would be achieved if those having children were guaranteed a better standard of living than if they had not had a child. To sum it up, the condition of the success of Hungarian demographic policy is that Christianity should be reinforced in Europe, that by 2030 each year the Hungarian gross domestic product should be at least 2 percent above the average of the economic growth of the Union. Above all, we have to hold on, the Prime Minister said.
