EP elections – Socialists call for family-friendly policies

The Socialists’ programme for the European Parliament elections features measures such as a European minimum wage and minimum pension, and the construction of European social rented housing to ensure a future where all Hungarian children can be born into happy families, István Ujhelyi, a joint Socialist-Párbeszéd candidate for MEP, told a press conference on Sunday.

Currently, one in six Hungarian children is born to parents who have emigrated to western Europe,

Ujhelyi said. The alliance’s programme therefore makes demands of the Hungarian government and the EU to draw those families back to Hungary, he said.

Ujhelyi said it is the experience today of hundreds of thousands of Hungarian families that the “elitist, right-wing, nationalist government” only supports its cronies and the elite of society.

Párbeszéd co-leader Tímea Szabó criticised government subsidies for credit and new cars, saying that “enticement into a trap of debt will not produce more births in Hungary”, but only create “another tragedy”.

She said a package of Socialist-Párbeszéd bills earlier submitted to lawmakers could improve the “catastrophic” demographic situation of the country by doubling family allowances, expanding social rented housing, closing the gender pay gap, boosting job security for women and adding more places in creches.

HUNGARIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN A TRAGIC SITUATION

Source: MTI