The beginning of April was devoted to a European thematic week on population and family issues called “Europe for Families, Families for Europe” in Hungary. The week included a set of international expert, scientific and civil conferences as well as an informal meeting of ministers for demography and family matters.
Family photo at the informal EU ministerial meeting on demography and family matters in Budapest . Fotó: 2011, András Péter Németh / www.eu2011.hu / MFA.GOV.HU During the meeting, the European countries exchanged experiences and best practices in the areas of demographic trends, the Europe 2020 Strategy, the role of family policy in demographic changes and cooperation within family policy. State Secretary Kirsti Bergstø from the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion attended from Norway.
Stronger support for family issues
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, opened the ministerial meeting by asking the ministers for a stronger support for family policy.
– The EU should not build its future on immigration. Instead families and societies have to reproduce themselves, without external help to ensure long-term balanced and peaceful operation, said Orbán.
The Prime Minister´s worry is connected to a long-term demographic trend with low birth rates in the EU, which is an issue that Hungary has particularly chosen to put under the microscope under their chairmanship period.
Eight Member States of the European Union, including Hungary, are already facing a diminishing population at a national level. And according to Hungary’s Central Statistical Office, immigration is the only factor that is currently preventing demographic decline in several other EU member states.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán asked for a stronger support for family policy. Fotó: 2011, András Kovács / www.eu2011.hu / MFA.GOV.HU Calculations show that the EU population will start to shrink in 2035, regardless of continuous immigration.
While the population growth in the EU countries is strongly connected to immigration, Norway´s population growth is somewhat more evenly distributed between immigration and births.
Norway experienced one of its highest birth rates in 2009, only comparable with the high birth rate in 1972. Today, Norway has one of the highest birth rates in Europe (1.98), according to reports from the Statistics Norway.
Deceleration on family policy
At the meeting, the ministers gave account of their family support programmes and experiences. Many also dwelled upon the need for intervention at European level, even though demographic issues fall within national competence.
The meeting ended with a signed declaration from the Presidential Trio (Spain, Belgium, Hungary) and Poland, about the “Impacts of Reconciliation of Work and Family Life on Demographic Dynamics” to strengthen the focus on child and family policy issues.
The Presidency also suggested that the European Union should declare the year 2014 as the European Year for Families.