Hungarian Conservative

‘Family policy will remain of utmost importance to us, as part of our overarching priority of demography during our presidency. It is clear that all of our societies are being reshaped by the challenges of demographic change. The Hungarian Presidency intends to examine demography from the perspective of competitiveness in a holistic way by including it in the agenda of almost all council formations,’ State Secretary responsible for families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation Ágnes Hornung told Hungarian Conservative in a recent interview.

Population loss slowed this September compared to the same month last year, the Central Statistical Office revealed. However, the number of new marriages has also shown a declining trend.

High interest rates have taken a toll on the Hungarian housing market, as they have in virtually every country. The expanded CSOK programme by the Orbán administration can do a lot to revitalize the market, all the while incentivizing child bearing in the country.

‘With in vitro fertilisation, conception takes place outside the mother’s body, rendering the natural conjugal act between husband and wife in itself as alien to the institution of the family. Man and woman no longer come together as one, but are rather utilised in the creation of human embryos…This not only harms that unitive act of marriage between husband and wife, but it reduces the child to a mere group of cells.’

The State Secretary said that since 2010, every year has been the year of families in Hungary. He added that the family support programmes in the country are still work in progress, with the government working dynamically on introducing new schemes as soon as possible.

Ágnes Hornung reminded that the government has expanded and enhanced the family support system year after year to facilitate childbearing, child-raising, home-building, and work alongside child-raising, all with the aim of leaving more money in the hands of families.

Hungary managed to stay above the EU average with a fertility rate of 1.61 in 2021. This is also a sizable increase compared to the 1.23 figure the country reported in 2011.