Katalin Novák, Hungary’s family affairs minister, has confirmed that the Visegrad Group countries have established a “family friendly coalition”.
Minister Novák said family ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia were preparing to adopt a joint statement on their commitment to family values. “We, in the heart of Europe, have entered into a cooperation centered around families,” Novák said. “We are searching for the solutions to our demographic challenges in the support of families rather than migration.”
According to MTI, Novák took part in a videoconference on family affairs with her Polish, Slovak and Czech counterparts — Marlena Malag, Milan Krajniak and Jana Maláčová, respectively. The ministers agreed to coordinate family-related decisions and to launch joint research projects. Their common goal is to remove financial obstacles in the way of young people so they can raise as many children as they want.
The minister added that women must be given the opportunity to coordinate family and career. Hungary will raise the funding allocated for family support in its 2022 budget to three times what it was in 2010. “We have introduced prenatal baby support and Hungary’s largest home purchase subsidy program. Starting on June 1, we will increase the family allowance for families raising children. Under-25s will be exempt from the personal income tax from January 1, just as mothers raising more than three children are,” she said.
Finally, citing research by Fitch commissioned by the government, Novák said very few young people consciously planned the time in their lives when they would have children. Streamlining related research and conducting it internationally would make government measures more effective, she added.