President Tamas Sulyok - Photo: Facebook

President Sulyok: Nothing and no one can take precedence over the protection of children

The president said the protection of children transcended national interests, and caring for them was the most basic human inclination.

President Tamás Sulyok told a conference in Szeged, in southern Hungary, on Thursday that nothing and no one can take precedence over the protection of children, emphasising that children were “a blessing for the nation, the homeland, the family and all created people”.

In a keynote speech at the Csongrád-Csanád County Government Office’s conference on child protection, President Sulyok said Hungarians were a “family-centric” nation, and children were “the most cherished treasure of the family”.

“They are the guarantors of the Hungarian nation’s survival, they are the ones that will follow in our footsteps, continue our work, and hopefully correct our mistakes as well,” the president said.

He said there could be no greater goal than ensuring a “protective and inspiring environment” for all children to help them become “happy and balanced” adults.

President Sulyok said the protection of children transcended national interests, and caring for them was the most basic human inclination.

“Child protection is a community matter; our community’s,” the present said, adding that it was everyone’s responsibility because children needed role models.

He said the work of child protection experts and staff was “indispensable”, and the importance of their service “cannot be put into words”.

Illustration - Photo: wikipedia

Births drop, deaths increase

According to preliminary data, 5,885 children were born and 11,198 people died in March 2025. The number of births lessened by 8.9%, that of marriages by 2.0%, while that of deaths increased by 4.9% compared to the same month of the previous year.

In March 2025 a total of 5,885 children were born, 8.9% or 572 fewer than in March 2024.

11,198 people lost their lives, 4.9% or 523 more than a year earlier.

The natural decrease was 5,313, as opposed to 4,218 in March 2024.

2,968 couples got married, which was 2.0% or 61 less than a year earlier.

In January–March 2025 17,945 children were born, 1,397 or 7.2% less than in January–March 2024. Within this, the number of live births was 4.1% less in January and 8.8% less in February–March than in 2024. The leap-day adjusted number of births was 6.2% lower in January–March compared to the same period last year.

The total fertility rate was estimated at 1.31 per female, which was 1.38 a year earlier.

There were 35,245 deaths, 4.4% or 1,484 more than one year earlier. Compared to the same periods of the previous year, 7.7% more people died in January, 0.3% more in February and 4.9% more in March. Considering the leap day effect, the number of deaths in January–March was 5.6% higher than in the same period of the previous year.

Due to the balance of births and deaths, the natural decrease was 17,300 people, which was 20% more than the value of 14,419 for 2024. Taking into account the leap day effect the natural decrease was 21% higher than in the same period of the previous year.

6,614 couples got married, 6.4% or 452 fewer than a year earlier. 4.3% less marriages were registered in January, 14% less in February and 2.0% less in March than in the corresponding months of 2024. The leap-day adjusted number of marriages was 5.3% lower in January-March than a year earlier.

There were 7.6 live births and 15.0 deaths per thousand population. The rate of live births was 0.5 per mille points lower, while that of deaths was 0.8 per mille points higher than in January–March 2024. The rate of natural decrease increased by 1.3 per mille points to 7.4 per mille. The number of infant deaths was 2.8 per thousand live births, which was 1.3 per mille points lower compared to the same period of the previous year. The marriage rate was 2.8 per mille, 0.2 per mille points lower than a year earlier.

The number of births declined in all regions compared to the same period of the previous year. The largest decreases occurred in Budapest, Southern Transdanubia and Northern Hungary.

The number of deaths increased in all regions compared with the same period of the previous year. The largest increase was in Northern Hungary, Budapest and Central Transdanubia.

The rate of natural decrease increased in all regions. The largest increase occurred in Northern Hungary, Budapest and Central Transdanubia.

Among the regions, the number of marriages increased only in Southern Transdanubia and decreased in all other regions. The largest decreases occurred in Northern Hungary, in the capital and Western Transdanubia.

Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky - Photo: Facebook

Defense Minister: Hungary’s military is constantly being upgraded and strengthened

The Hungarian Armed Forces are being rearmed and given the most advanced equipment.

Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary’s military is constantly being upgraded and strengthened, adding that the Hungarian Armed Forces are being rearmed and given the most advanced equipment.

Presenting awards at the Damjanich barracks in Szentes, in south-eastern Hungary, on Thursday, Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky said Hungary’s government had recognized in time that the world had entered “an era of dangers”, and had begun upgrading its military before several other European countries.

The Hungarian Armed Forces, he said, had to be capable of guaranteeing the security of the Hungarian people even in a war.

“For us, Hungary’s security comes first,” the minister said, adding that society was gradually getting a better understanding of the country’s defense forces.

Illustration - Photo: pxfuel

Unemployment rate at 4.3 percent

In March 2025, the average number of employed persons aged 15–74 was 4 million 701 thousand. The number of unemployed persons was 211 thousand and the unemployment rate 4.3%.

In the period January–March 2025, the average number of employed persons aged 15–74 was 4 million 692 thousand. The number of employed persons was 2 million 493 thousand among men and 2 million 198 thousand among women.

There were 4 million 525 thousand people working in the domestic primary labour market, while the number of public workers was 65 thousand and those working abroad totalled 102 thousand.2

The employment rate for people aged 15-64 increased by 0.4 percentage points year-on-year to 75.2%. While the 79.0% employment rate for men was 0.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier, the rate for women was essentially unchanged2 at 71.3%.

In the period January–March 2025, the number of unemployed people aged 15–74 was 213 thousand, 14 thousand fewer than a year earlier, while the rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 4.3%.

The number of unemployed was 116 thousand for males and 97 thousand for females. The rate for men was 4.5%, 0.4 percentage points lower than a year earlier, while for women it remained broadly the same at 4.2%.2

The average duration of job search was 13.1 months. 41.8% of all unemployed had been looking for a job for less than 3 months, while 37.0% had not found a job for at least a year.

According to the administrative data of the National Employment Service, the number of registered job seekers at the end of March 2025 decreased by 1.5% to 233 thousand compared to a year earlier.

Photo: Wikipedia

Orbán: If Ukraine becomes a member of the EU, there won’t be any money for Hungary

The prime minister said the issue of Ukraine's European Union membership could decide Hungary's future for the next 15-20 years.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that if Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union, there will not be any money to bring back to Hungary, adding that “it’s either one or the other”.

In a video posted on Facebook on Thursday, PM Orbán said the issue of Ukraine’s European Union membership could decide Hungary’s future for the next 15-20 years.

“There’s a decision, I could say there’s a command on this from Brussels, which they are not even keeping secret, since European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already announced in the European Parliament that Ukraine’s EU accession must happen by 2030, and that is less than five years,” PM Orbán said. “So this is knocking on the door,” he said, adding that this would be a “fatal blow” for the farm sector and Hungary’s EU funds.

“And if somebody claims that he will bring the EU monies home and supports Ukraine’s EU accession, he is obviously lying, because if Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union, there will be no money to bring home,” PM Orbán said.

Foreign minister Peter Szijjarto – Photo: Facebook

FM: Hungary and Jordan agree to further strengthen bilateral economic cooperation

The foreign minister welcomed that the two countries have doubled the turnover of bilateral trade since 2010.

Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said in Amman on Thursday that representatives of Hungary and Jordan have agreed on moves to further strengthen their bilateral economic cooperation.

Minister Szijjártó spoke at a press conference held jointly with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, after a meeting of the Hungary-Jordan mixed economic committee, and welcomed that the two countries have doubled the turnover of bilateral trade since 2010.

Thursday’s agreements will promote Hungarian medical technologies and equipment in improving health services in Jordan, the statement quoted the minister as saying.

Minister Szijjártó also added that the two countries are mulling an agreement to increase the trade of food products, and noted “serious opportunities” for cooperation in nuclear technology and education.

Minister Szijjártó pointed to the serious security challenges faced by both Central Europe and the Middle East, saying that both Hungary and Jordan belonged to the peace camp, “regularly speaking for peace in the international arena”.

“We highly appreciate Jordan’s efforts to make peace and ease tensions; we appreciate Jordan’s firm and committed actions against extremism,” he said. The latter, he added, was of great significance for Europe amid a rising global threat of terrorism.

Minister Szijjártó said it was crucial to ensure that the earlier “diabolical, brutal terrorist attacks” should not recur in the Middle East and that “everybody can live in security and calm”.

The minister highlighted Jordan’s efforts to reduce migration by accommodating millions of refugees on its territory. The Hungarian government supports all international initiatives to increase help to Jordan, he added. “We know that if it wasn’t for Jordan’s responsible attitude, millions of migrants would flood Europe and the continent could not handle another wave of millions of migrants,” he said.

He called for an “early and deep” implementation of the strategic partnership between the European Union and Jordan, and urged that Jordan’s military should benefit from the European Peace Facility. He also noted that Hungary had offered funds for this purpose within the framework of NATO.

Minister Szijjártó also noted that Hungary has financed 13 religious-humanitarian development programmes in Jordan in recent years and contributed to the renovation of several church buildings.

Meanwhile, he said that Hungary offers an annual 400 scholarships to Jordanian students. Under the programme, Hungarian universities have over 1,000 Jordanian students among their citizens.

Janos Boka – Photo: Facebook

Bóka: There is no money for Ukraine’s EU membership

János Bóka, the minister for EU affairs, said the poorer a member state is, the more it receives in European Union support.

János Bóka, the minister for EU affairs, said there is no money for Ukraine’s European Union membership.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Minister Bóka said Ukraine is “one of the poorest countries in Europe”, arguing that before the outbreak of the war, the country’s per capita GDP was 3,285 euros according to 2020 data, compared with 14,370 euros in Hungary, that is four times the Ukrainian figure.

The poorer a member state is, the more it receives in European Union support, he added.

Since the outbreak of the war — though Ukraine is not yet a member of the bloc — the EU has already provided the country with at least 138 billion euros in funding, Boka said. This comes close to the EU’s annual budget, and it does not include the 500-600 billion euros in aid that would be required for Ukraine’s reconstruction, he added.

“However, the EU budget is not increasing, so a good part of Hungary’s EU funds would also end up in Ukraine,” the minister said.

Marton Nagy - Photo: hirado.hu

Government submits 2026 budget draft to Fiscal Council

The National Economy Ministry said the budget draft, "built on peace", contains Europe's largest tax reduction program and prioritises support for families and pensioners, while calculating with significant pay rises.

The Hungarian government submitted its 2026 budget draft to the Fiscal Council on Thursday.

The National Economy Ministry said the budget draft, “built on peace”, contains Europe’s largest tax reduction program and prioritises support for families and pensioners, while calculating with significant pay rises.

In a message on social media, National Economy Minister Márton Nagy said the draft budget earmarked HUF 4,800bn in support for families, adding that doubled tax allowances would leave HUF 290bn with families raising children, up from HUF 80bn in 2025.

Households will get around HUF 800bn in support in the form of subsidies for the regulated utilities price system, and they will get a further HUF 800bn in interest payments on retail government securities.

Some HUF 450bn has been earmarked for bonuses for Hungarians in uniform, and resources have been allocated for double-digit pay rises for public sector workers in smaller settlements.

In line with Hungary’s commitment to keep defense spending at 2pc of GDP, HUF 1,900bn will go toward upgrading the Hungarian Defense Forces.

Around HUF 4,900bn will be spent on economic development, including HUF 2,200bn in European Union funding.

Windfall profit taxes will remain in place in some sectors, while tax preferences for boosting headcount and spending on R+D will rise.

The budget is calculated with 4.1pc GDP growth and 3.6pc average annual inflation.

The primary deficit — excluding the cost of debt maintenance — is set at zero.

The general government deficit target is 3.7pc of GDP, while state debt is set to fall to a year-end 72.3pc of GDP from 73.1pc at end-2025.

The government will submit the budget bill to lawmakers on May 6, after the Fiscal Council issues its opinion on the draft.

Peter Magyar – Photo: Facebook

PM: Tisza Party’s MEPs in Brussels are working to make Hungary unsuccessful

"We worked so that our family and our homeland could prosper, and to have a good working community. We worked to make Hungary successful," PM Orbán said.

In a video posted on Facebook, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the opposition Tisza Party’s MEPs in Brussels are working to make Hungary unsuccessful.

Making reference to earlier remarks by Tisza MEP Kinga Kollár, PM Orbán said: “If I take a closer look at what she said, it sounds like something [former PM] Ferenc Gyurcsány could have said, even though one of them is of the old opposition, and the other of the new one.”

“We woke up this morning and started working,” PM Orbán said. “We worked so that our family and our homeland could prosper, and to have a good working community. We worked to make Hungary successful.”

“Kinga Kollár and the other Tisza MEPs woke up in Brussels this morning, and for a salary worth 7-8-9 million forints (EUR 17,000-22,000) the worked … to make Hungary unsuccessful … with the aim of preventing hospitals from being fixed, preventing higher quality public services and the construction of roads,” the prime minister said. “That’s what they’ve been working for all day. These are our compatriots in Brussels.”

“The way I see it, our opponents are the same people as in the past, it’s just that their party’s name is different,” PM Orbán said.

MEPs of the Tisza Party

MEP: Hungary’s DK and Tisza parties aim to continue financially supporting war in Ukraine

Tamás Deutsch said that the "Brussels grand coalition of parties" also represented in Brussels Tisza’s MEPs Péter Magyar and Kinga Kollár.

Fidesz MEP Tamás Deutsch said the “grand coalition in Brussels involving Hungary’s DK and Tisza parties” aims to continue to financially support the war in Ukraine, migration and sham civil groups as well as “the financial blackmail of EU member states on an ideological basis”.

Deutsch commented on a vote held in the European Parliament’s Budgets Committee earlier in the day in which MEPs adopted a report outlining the EP’s vision for the next post-2027 EU budgetary framework.

In a statement, Deutsch said that the “Brussels grand coalition of parties” also represented in Brussels Tisza’s MEPs Péter Magyar and Kinga Kollár, and the MEPs of the Democratic Coalition and Momentum supported the concept that the implementation of the EU’s “catastrophic migration and asylum pact” must continue after 2027.

He said they supported continuing “the opaque funding of fake political activist networks, the war in Ukraine and the financial blackmail of EU member states”.

“Brussels is still keeping the rule-of-law procedure against Hungary going and is withholding EU funds Hungary is entitled to with the aim of supporting the Tisza Party in next year’s parliamentary election,” said Deutsch.