European Union Family Policy Outlook 2024 - conference and book launch
The "European Union Family Policy Outlook 2024" was launched, published by KINCS, which provides a comprehensive overview of demography and family policies in the EU Member States.
At the launch conference, held at the Márai Sándor Cultural Centre, the President of KINCS said that the new volume is a follow-up to the 2019 edition, and is relevant in the context of Hungary's current presidency of the EU. The authors of the Family Policy Outlook examined the values on which some Member States base their family policies, the similarities and differences between them, the progress made and what has changed compared to 2019. According to Tünde Fűrész, this volume is a good opportunity to find common points and good practices that are worth adopting and which can further strengthen European families.
In her opening speech, Dr. Zsófia Koncz highlighted three areas where Hungary leads among EU Member States. One is housing support, the other is various family tax benefits, as well as maternity leave and benefit. The State Secretary for Families pointed out that the government is continuously working to expand family benefits, which is why a package of proposals to simplify the use of home creation subsidies has been put to public consultation. Under this scheme, for example, CSOK (Family Housing Subsidy) support previously received for a new home could be transferred to the purchase of a second-hand home.
In his presentation, Dr. Péter Pillók spoke about the results of the Project Europe 2022 research on families. The Director of the Századvég Center for Public Knowledge Foundation said that according to the results of the Project Europe surveys, the family continues to be a priority for Europeans (88%). In the majority of Member States, including Hungary, two children are considered ideal, while 81% of European citizens and 95% of Hungarians believe that the state should support the creation of families. There is also agreement that the demographic problems should be solved not by migration but by increasing the number of children born. 68% strongly prefer internal resources, such as support for local families.
Dr. Zsuzsanna Makay pointed out that Europe's population is gradually declining while the society is ageing. The senior research fellow at the Hungarian Demographic Research Institute of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) said that it is projected that by 2050, 28.5 percent of the population will be over 65, which could pose a significant demographic challenge for the continent's countries. She also pointed out that the total fertility rate (TFR) is below replacement level in all regions.
Dr. Árpád József Mészáros presented the demographic aspects of the Hungarian Presidency. According to the Strategic Vice President of KINCS, in recent years the demographic challenges have been increasingly addressed through a migration-centred approach, but recently there has been a noticeable change. A good starting point, he said, is the EU's Demographic Toolbox of 2023, which is the first document to put families at the centre. He stressed that the Hungarian Presidency's aim is to keep demographic issues on the agenda and to ensure that economic growth and demographic sustainability are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing factors.
Kriszta Kállay-Kisbán, Head of the International Bureau of KINCS, compared the family policy systems of EU Member States, highlighting Hungary's role in the field of childcare subsidies, family tax benefits, home creation programmes and day care for young children. She pointed out that well-chosen family policy measures can provide effective responses to a number of social and economic challenges, including ageing populations, labour shortages, migration and integration issues, depopulation and brain drain.
The European Union Family Policy Outlook 2024 can be downloaded in English and Hungarian from the KINCS website: https://www.koppmariaintezet.hu/hu/tevekenyseguenk/kiadvanyaink
