The fifth international conference or Budapest Demographic Summit (in English, Budapest Demographic Summit), which took place from September 14th to 16th, is the most important international strategic forum on demographic issues since 2015 and is held every two years. This year, 60 heads of state and government, ecclesiastical leaders, opinion makers, media personalities and NGO leaders from four continents shared a program full of opportunities to encourage reflection and discussion on promoting a safe and fruitful future for families.
The promoter of the event, first as Minister of Family and now as President of the Republic of Hungary, is Katalin Novak, who recalled in her opening speech how Hungary became the “Mecca” of thinking and discussion about the various experiences of family policies, for which not only subsidies and financial incentives are needed, but also a social, civil and cultural life focused on the family.
“Being in favor of the family must be the lowest common national denominator”, emphasized Novák, at the opening of the conference, and continued listing the 12 points and commitments for the freedom of Hungarian families: “We must have the freedom to raise our children, free from harmful ideologies. We cannot allow our children to be deprived of their sense of security based on their identity and self-awareness.
We need to have a family-friendly government and legislators in power. Hungary must not give its consent to decisions that go against the family in international matters. Safety for our families: kindergartens, schools, villages, cities, the country and borders must remain safe. Adequate opportunities for people with children: We cannot allow people with children to be dragged into poverty. We must not allow economic difficulties to prevent us from having children. We must have respect for the elderly. We must guarantee real freedom of choice for women, preventing them from having to choose between family and career. We must help young people find housing for themselves. We must have competitive public education, vocational education, higher education and a public health system. We must pay attention to Hungarian families living outside our borders.”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in his broad speech opening statement, said: “Hungary is the European country, along with Poland, that is the most convinced and persistent defender of families and demography in national and international politics, and this will not change despite progressive pressure.” Orbán emphasized that, despite attacks from the progressive world on the country for being pro-family — as provided for in the Constitution, his government will continue with its pro-family policies. On the contrary, the criticism will encourage Orbán to draw up “the Hungarian Family Policy 2.0 program”.
We cannot remain silent in the face of the fact that, in addition to the useless controversy that caused Giorgia Meloni was targeted for participating, on September 14th, like other Heads of State and Government, in an international event of such wide scope and of such urgent interest for Italy, the first results of the Hungarian policy of more than ten years are being imposing in all its magnitude.
Since 2010, the income of families with one child has doubled, while that of families with several children has tripled. One in five families has a new home and recent data shows that three in four children are born into a joint family, while those born out of wedlock are decreasing. While it is true that, in 2021, France had the highest fertility rate among EU Member States, with 1.84 live births per woman, according to the Eurostatand the average for the EU as a whole was 1.53, in the last decade it was Hungary that stood out for its robust upward trend in fertility rates, as a result of massive family and birth policies.
The Hungarian State Secretary for Family Policy, Ágnes Hornung, presented data showing that 75% of children born today are to married couples. The Secretary of State emphasized that the institution of marriage is important from a demographic point of view, as the stability and security of a family are conditions that greatly promote the birth rate. Furthermore, the last 12 years have seen the greatest increase in the availability of having children compared to other countries in Europe.
Data confirmed by the excellent minister Gergely Gulyás show that in 2010, when the government introduced a new family and demographic policy, the fertility rate was 1.23, while in 2021 it had risen to 1.59. This represents a increase of 25.6%, making Hungary the country with the highest total fertility rate in the European Union in the last decade. The Hungarian perspective of reaching a fertility rate of 2.1 children per couple in the next decade is, therefore, credible, if a team of politicians who are sensitive and proactive to family and birth policies are maintained in the government.
Having children is a sovereign decision for families, but it is the task of governments and legislators, as well as men of culture and the media, to improve opportunities for young people, parents and families, through a broad spectrum of policies that respect their freedom and support their desire for posterity. One year after the general elections and less than nine months before the European elections, the Italian government wants to reward marital stability, move towards progressive, coherent and stable family policies, and wants to be clearly and completely accountable to the country on this. ? And do the oppositions want to contribute to a “national lowest common denominator” of family policies or not?
Luca Giuseppe Volontè, bachelor in Political Sciences, was an Italian deputy from 1996 to 2013. He founded and directed the Novae Terrae Foundation for several years, coordinating, as General Secretary and in collaboration with Italian and foreign universities and research institutes, the first global investigation on family policies, human dignity and freedom of education.
©2023 La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana. Published with permission. Original in Italian: “Denatalità, i prize number for the “cattiva” Ungheria”.
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