Justice minister: Demographics turnaround crucial to social development

The basic principle of family policy in Hungary is that families should not suffer any financial disadvantages as a result of having children. Rather, they should benefit from it, Varga told a conference held  on the subject in Budapest.

Families are eligible for special support in Hungary, with over 5 percent of GDP given to families raising children last year, which puts the country in the leading group among the OECD member countries on this score, she added.

State secretary in charge of families Agnes Hornung told the event that the government planned to “fine-tune” family policy measures to encourage more births and improve families’ financial circumstances. The aim is to ensure that all families who want children should be able to fulfil their desire and parents should be able to maintain a good balance of family and work.

Ever since 2010, the government has been making efforts to offer predictability to families, she said.

“A complex and well-prepared system has been developed by the family-friendly government to support families, but this does not mean that no changes would be needed or it would be impossible to make changes,” she added.