Families cannot be superseded, there is no alternative to the family, the family will always be the mainstream - said the minister without portfolio responsible for families in Kossuth radio's Vasárnapi húzáz program at the IV. Evaluating the Budapest Demographic Summit.
In the program, Katalin Novák expressed her joy that many people participated in the event, at which they jointly concluded: there is no alternative for the family and demographic problems must be dealt with. He added: everyone agreed that the solution to the demographic problems is not specifically mass immigration, but rather support for families.
The minister called it a great thing that an agreement was reached between the heads of state and government, in which it was stated that support for families is of the utmost importance, that demographic problems can also be solved with family support, and that European Union funds are also used to deal with demographic-type challenges support must be given.
He pointed out that they have also concluded a ministerial-level agreement with eight European Union countries, which states that they will represent family-centered values together with the EU proposals, and that they will also come up with initiatives that advance the support of families in Europe.
Katalin Novák also spoke about how, seeing the sold-out audience, she felt the two-day summit was a demonstration of strength during her closing speech. At the event, in addition to politicians, representatives of family organizations, philosophers, representatives of the corporate sector and scientists could meet and exchange ideas, while Olympic champions also testified about the importance of the family, and a cultural program awaited the participants.
The minister without portfolio responsible for families said: the government has been working for Hungarian families for almost 12 years, and there is a chance that a real demographic turnaround will take place. Major changes can be achieved in two or three decades, in one human life, so there is still work to be done, Katalin Novák pointed out.
He emphasized: if Hungary deviates from the path - as it already happened once between 2002-2010 - then everything that the government has built up in the field of family support in the last twelve years can be "destroyed to the ground".
According to Katalin Novák, the meeting was also a demonstration of strength in the sense that not only the leaders of Central and Eastern Europe took part in it, but also Mike Pence, the former vice president of the United States, who most strongly stood up for family values, and he acknowledged the Hungarian family policy with surprising knowledge. He added: while Hungarians were the only ones in the EU in 2015, now there are eight or nine member states that are ready to firmly represent the interests of families. Katalin Novák assessed this as a serious change.
The minister called the summit an exciting experience, the participants of which gave many examples of support for families. The most instructive thing was how many good practices there can be, and we can still learn from each other, said Katalin Novák.
MTI
Photo: Katalin Novák, minister without portfolio responsible for families, presents the publication Family Friendly Decade 2010–2020 (Photo: MTI/Szilárd Koszticsák)
