“If a country is dissatisfied, it still cannot act unilaterally, it must do so in agreement with the other member States”, Minister of Human Capacities Zoltán Balog declared on ORF Austrian public television’s news programme late on Tuesday evening in reaction to the fact that the Austrian Government is planning to reduce the benefits paid to Hungarians working in Austria by changing the regulations of family benefits.

“Austria has agreed that equal treatment must be afforded to everyone within the European Union, and if the system works according to E law then there is no reason to change it”, Mr. Balog declared. “If someone wishes to change the currently effective regulations then, since they are European Union regulations, it must ask the EU about the matter”, the Minister stressed.

In the report, citing previous statements by Viktor Orbán, Austrian television said that if the family benefit system is modified then the Hungarian Prime Minister “has threatened to punish Austrian capital”.

In answer to a question concerning whether Hungary regarded the planned measure by Austria as being unfriendly, the Minister replied with a clear yes.

The ORF report also states that the Austrian decision could affect thousands of Hungarian working in Austria, whose children lie in Hungary, and the family benefit they currently receive from Austria would be reduced to about half.

In Hungary, families receive about 40 euros-a-month in family benefits per child, so they are glad to receive family benefits from Austria, which total around 130 euros per child, the report stated.

According to the plan put forward by Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Integration Sebastian Kurz, family benefits paid to EU citizens working in Austria would be set to correspond to the level of benefits paid in their country of origin.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)