The Hungarian president, Karalin Novák, hosted the fifth “Budapest Demographic Summit” in mid-September. Despite the looming demographic crisis in Europe, it did not receive much attention in Ireland. Given that our fertility rates are on the floor, it might be an idea for policymakers here to show some interest.
First held in 2015, the event showcases the success of the Hungarian government’s pro-family policies introduced since Viktor Orbán’s premiership of the country. These policies focus on curbing the population and demographic decline which has faced Hungary for many years.
This year, President Novák presented “the 12 points of the freedom fight of families” which included the following aims:
- “the freedom to raise our children, free from harmful ideologies”;
- “pro-family decision-makers in power”; and
- helping “the youth in finding housing for themselves”.
Europe faces declining birth rates across many nations. However, Hungary’s attempt to fight this issue is unique: since Orbán’s leadership began, fertility rates in Hungary have risen by approximately 25%, which is above the EU average.
Prior to this, they had the lowest birth rate in the EU. Hungary’s pro-natal policies have become known as the “Hungarian Model”.
Marriage rates have also doubled in the first decade of Orbán’s government – with more than 64,000 marriages recorded in the country in 2020 compared to 36,000 in 2010.
The number of divorces also fell by 37% in Hungary in the period with approximately 17,700 divorces recorded in the country in 2022 compared to some 23,900 divorces in 2010.
Some of the recent marriage and birth statistics show stagnation, however this is likely due to Hungary’s recession and the country’s steep inflation rate, caused by factors such as COVID, higher energy prices, and a severe drought in Hungary last year.
The Hungarian government supports families residing in its country by exempting families with four or more children from paying tax. Where couples marry before the wife is 41 years of age, the family will be given a loan of 10 million forints (approximately €26,000). Depending on the number of children born to the marriage, the loan may not need to be settled in full.
This has resulted in a significant uptake in marriage in Hungary with very few families remaining unmarried. Promoting child rearing within the institution of marriage is central to the Hungarian Model.
Abortion in Hungary has halved since 2010 showing that the nation has embraced pro-life measures with great success under these policies. Hungary’s abortion laws allow for abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy and up to 24 weeks in a limited number of circumstances. To obtain an abortion in Hungary, there is a mandatory three-day waiting period. This is in stark contrast to the Bill currently going through the Oireachtas which will seek to eliminate the three-day wait currently required for abortion in Ireland. It appears that Hungary is heading towards a family-centred society reflective of bygone Ireland.
At the summit Orbán decried the focus of Western leaders on carbon initiatives instead of focusing on solving the demographic decline of nations and offering family support as a solution to demographic problems.
Critics of the event slated the speakers at the summit as indulging “paranoia” for criticising woke banking, cancel culture and sex education reforms for children. Despite this commentary, this year’s event was the first to welcome numerous heads of state and other state dignitaries from the following countries: Serbia, Italy, Bulgaria, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Qatar, UAE, Ecuador and Bahrain.
Guest speakers at this year’s summit included Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dr Jordan Peterson as well as various preachers, professors and economists from around the world.
Speaking in English, keynote speaker Giorgia Meloni acknowledged that a “serious demographic crisis…[is] affecting the whole of Europe and… the West in its entirety.”
#Meloni al Budapest demographic summit: appello a difesa della #famiglia https://t.co/9Vkp1JSybi pic.twitter.com/kEGXAslmAC
— LiberoReporter (@LiberoReporter) September 14, 2023
She stated that “we need the courage to say that demographers’ projections for the future are very worrying”. Meloni cited polling results in Italy revealing people are not having the children they say they want to have.
She commended Hungary’s policies in assisting their people and highlights a surprising and welcome trend that the rate of female employment in Hungary has increased under said policies. (A video and transcript of Meloni’s full speech can be found here).
Another prominent international figure, Dr Jordan B. Peterson, spoke on the value of the nuclear family as the ideal for a strong and stable society. Peterson has previously criticised how demographic and population decline are being managed by the government and is concerned for the consequences of population decline which include a decline in prosperity in nations and possible instability in functioning ecosystems.
At the #BudapestDemographicSummit @jordanbpeterson highlighted the importance of #sociability as a key axis in humanity. He stated that even the most antisocial people, are punished with isolation.
Read our report from the event:https://t.co/I0wnDBJcmK pic.twitter.com/dcw8NhRHZS
— The Long Brief (@longbrief) September 21, 2023
Outside of Europe, nations like Japan and South Korea are facing an ageing population, precipitous birth-rate decline, and low population replacement levels, due to a lack of incentive for the native population to have children. These nations also prevent mass migration. It is unclear what these nations will do next to deal with their population decline. If they insist on strong protections against migration, as Hungary has also chosen to do, they and other countries may start to adopt similar policies to cope with their decline.
In Ireland, our declining birth rate and later marriage-age rates suggest our demographic may face similar issues. In contrast to Hungary, South Korea and Japan, we are compensating for our declining birthrate with immigration. However, with issues such as the housing crisis and the overload on the international protection system, it’s unclear if our current government or any viable opposition is in a position to rival the Hungarian Model, Novák’s 12 points for the freedom fight for families, or any other proposal that looks beyond the problems of the current generations in Ireland.
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The government will promise to subsidise child care for working families and then tax those same parents to raise the revenue needed to pay for the subvention such that the purported relief will be annulled by the higher tax bands.
Hungary is one of the few Nations in Europe where the Govt’s first priority is to the interests and concerns of its Citizens.
There are large incentives in money and housing for families with children to address the falling demographic.
Mass Migration is controlled by insisting all asylum seekers make application at a Hungarian Embassy outside the State.
No undocumented asylum seekers are allowed in Hungary.
It goes without saying ,that Irelands’ Regime does not have the interests or concerns of its Citizens as a priority.
Its concerns are with EU ,UN and Corporate interests ,where the money and career advancement lies for grovelling obedience to their diktats.
The working class can kiss my behind ,I got a Ministers job at last is their mantra.