PM Viktor Orbán announces “programme 2.0” for Hungary

Orbán said “the mindset” of a community was something that defined the future. He added, however, that the western way of thinking prevented the Europeans from being able to identify the most important challenge facing them which he said was demography.

He said that instead of addressing the issue of demography, politicians were focusing their attention on how to enforce carbon quotas in the economy and gender quotas in society.

“Europe is acting out of fear and fear turns us into defeatists. We say there is no future which thus will become a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Orbán said.

Orbán in his address called Hungary “an incubator house” of conservative policies which he said covered such areas as a worked-based economy, a modern cooperation of state and church and a patriotic education policy.

Speaking about Hungary’s demographic policy, the prime minister listed five goals. Those include promoting the advantages of raising children, government incentives supporting home-building, giving mothers priority “as the pillars of family policy”, turning the entire country’s operation into a family-friendly direction and protecting families with laws. Speaking about the achievements of his government that took power in 2010, Orbán noted that the per capita income of families raising a child had doubled and that of families raising more children had tripled. He said that a government subsidy scheme had helped every fifth family to buy a new home. Among the family support measures, he noted the personal income exemption for mothers under 30 and the personal income tax exemption for mothers with four children. The personal income tax exemption will be extended to families with three children, he said.

“We would normally not admit it, but in Hungary women keep the families together,” Orbán said and praised women for their achievements. He said the most important teaching of Hungarian family policy is that “if you want a future for your country, you must support mothers”. Obárn said that Hungary’s constitution protected the institution of marriage as a union based on a voluntary decision between a man and a woman, as well as the family which forms the basis for the survival of the nation.

The present first phase of Hungary’s family policy is concluded, now the next phase can begin, Orbán said.

“We have earned a lot of appreciation for what we have done so far, but we consider this to be insufficient, so we must move on,” he said.

Orbán said that “we have no chance to convince the present progressive, liberal elites . we must push them aside”. The post-liberal era replacing progressive liberalism “is not going to introduce itself, somebody will have to do it,” he added.

“And who is going to do that if not us?” Such a change would require conservative pro-family forces to take power in as many European countries as possible, the prime minister said.

Orbán said that “we have everything to turn the balance of power to our advantage” at the European Parliament elections next year.

“In the meantime, we, Hungarians have to do our homework and draft ‘programme 2.0’ of Hungarian family policy,” the prime minister said.

Source: MTI