ICON Economic Policy Forum – Migration no answer to labour, demography challenges in Europe, says Szijjarto

Budapest (MTI) – Migration will give no answer whatsoever to labour shortage or demographic challenges in European countries, Peter Szijjarto, the foreign minister of Hungary, said in Budapest on Monday.

Speaking about the economic policy impact of migration at the ICON Economic Policy Forum, the minister said that Europe has ample internal reserves in its labour market to manage shortage of manpower without relying on migrants.

Instead of employing migrants, Hungary seeks to focus on vocational training and increasing the mobility of the workforce, he said.

Szijjarto said that Hungary’s current unemployment rate of 6.7 percent is considered low in European comparison.

The minister said that an effective family policy and support for families with children can assist Hungary, and even Europe as a whole, in coping with demographic challenges.

Hungary has a vested interest in successful ethnic Hungarian communities living in successful neighbour countries, he said. The minister said that Hungary is maintaining “its all-time best ties” with two of its neighbours, Slovakia and Serbia.

Szijjarto said that the current global situation is extremely detrimental to “the programme of eastern opening”. In some cases Hungary’s position on the migrant crisis has been “intentionally misinterpreted” in Arab societies, prompting the Hungarian government to inform its partners about its real position, Szijjarto said.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters