Those who choose immigration instead of family support are renouncing their own future, Katalin Novák, minister without portfolio responsible for families, said in Bratislava, where she participated in a family affairs conference organized by the Slovak parliament on Monday.

The minister responsible for families said: today it is true for all countries in Europe that not enough children are born, and although Europe's population is growing for the time being, this is solely due to immigration. "However, if we choose migration instead of family support, we are renouncing our future," Katalin Novák pointed out. He stated: "migration is the wrong answer to demographic challenges". In connection with what was said at the conference, he added: it is positive that more and more people are "waking up" and see that it will not work without the support of families, because this is the way of the future.

The minister recalled: it was said several times at the conference that Hungary is an example for Slovakia to follow in the field of family policy, as it has continuously focused on supporting families for ten years, which is also shown by the fact that the Hungarian government has tripled the amounts allocated to families in the budget in recent years, and constantly introduces innovations in this field. "We want there to be no financial obstacles to starting a family or having more children in Hungary, which is why we have been working consistently for ten years, and the results of this can already be seen," stated Katalin Novák.

As he stated, one of the reasons for his visit is to help ensure that family-friendly governance can also begin in Slovakia, and in this context he will also participate in a bilateral meeting with Slovak Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family Affairs, Milan Krajniak.

The minister responsible for families said: there was also an issue on which the Hungarian and Slovak positions partially differ, and this is the matter of rental apartments and self-owned homes. He explained: according to the Hungarian government, owning a home is what really means security, rental apartments can create vulnerability in the long term, even if they seem like a good solution in the short term.

During the panel discussion that was part of the family affairs conference, it was brought up several times that the divorce rate in Hungary has decreased to an extraordinary extent in recent years, while at the same time the number of new marriages has greatly increased. In this regard, however, neighboring countries cannot boast of similar results.

Katalin Novák answered MTI's question on the topic: in this regard, stability and therefore political stability are very important. He pointed out: This was not always the case in Hungary either, between 2002 and 2010, when the government was anti-family, this trend was negative, since then the left-wing government took away the family tax allowance, canceled the home-building subsidy, and took a number of steps that unsettled the young people.

The minister responsible for families said in connection with the demographic problems in Europe: the question must be asked as to why young people decide to have children later and have fewer children than they plan. "As long as there is a difference between the number of planned and born children, the states have their work cut out for them, because they can help in the realization of these plans and these wishes," pointed out Katalin Novák.

MTI

Cover photo: Illustration - MTI/Lajos Soós