The Government has decided on further measures which seek to help families and to promote an increase in child births, the Minister of Human Capacities announced on Saturday at the event of the German Business Club (DWC) in Budapest where he received the organisation’s German-Hungarian Friendship Award.
Zoltán Balog highlighted among the planned measures the promotion of the flexible employment of young mothers and of the establishment of creches at workplaces. According to plans, the Government will allocate HUF 6 billion for the latter, which also helps businesses operating creches at the workplace with tax benefits, he said.
With these measures, they seek to further strengthen families, and to improve the labour market chances of parents, he said.
The percentage of mothers working in part-time employment arrangements is 46 per cent in Germany, while it is only 7 per cent in Hungary. These figures indicate the type of measures that are required in order to further improve the situation of families, he highlighted.
The amount of funds the Government allocates in the budget to the various forms of family support in percentage of the GDP testifies to its commitment to families. Hungary uses almost double the average of 2.5 per cent in the OECD countries, 4.7 per cent for these purposes, which is the highest in the EU. According to the data of Eurostat, Hungary is in 4th place among the countries where the number of births is also on the rise parallel with economic growth. The latest family policy measures are necessary for maintaining these results, he said.
Gergely Gulyás, Deputy Speaker of the House said at the event that the German Business Club played a crucial role in the fact that Germany is Hungary’s most important partner not only in a cultural and political sense, but also in business. Thirty per cent of Hungary’s foreign trade is bound for Germany, and Germany is the largest investor in Hungary, he stressed.
György Matolcsy, Governor of the National Bank of Hungary pointed out in his welcome speech: a new harmony between East and West may come into being during the period ahead. After the dream of a United States of Europe has come to an end, we need another three-, four- or five-speed Europe, everything points in this direction, he said stating his view.
In this, a new opportunity opens up for Hungary to build bridges here between Europe and Asia, he said.
Arne Gobert, President of DWC reiterated: they are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the organisation this year, and the German-Hungarian friendship agreement is also entering its 25th year this year. German-Hungarian cooperation has been at the centre of the Club’s activities for 25 years through the promotion of business, political and cultural relations.
The German Business Club was established by senior executives active in Hungary with a view to creating a forum for regular, informal professional meetings and the promotion of political and business relations, he reiterated. After Budapest, they set up local sections in Győr, Kecskemét and Pécs. An important mission of the Club is to make Hungary an attractive investment target, in particular, for German economic decision-makers and investors.
Bernhard Vogel, Honorary Chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, former German state Minister President, said: the Club which was established by 30 members of the business community now has almost 300 members, and with its activities in the past 25 years, it has significantly contributed to the reinforcement of foreign trade relations. The EU is in a critical state, and Europe must be kept together, he told his audience.
The German-Hungarian Friendship Award of DWC was established in 2015. It is awarded annually to one German and one Hungarian for the reinforcement of relations between the two countries, and this year the prize went to an additional awardee on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Club. In addition to Mr Balog, the award was given to Frank Spengler, Resident Representative of the Budapest office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Mária Schmidt, Director General of the House of Terror Museum.
In 2013 Mr Balog was already awarded the second most prestigious German state decoration, the Grand Order of Merit with Star and Shoulder-Sash which was bestowed upon him by the then head of state Joachim Gauck for the fostering of German-Hungarian relations and in recognition of his activities in the field of the protection of minorities and human rights. In 2016 Mr Balog also received the international Rainer Hildebrandt Medal which is one of the most prestigious human rights awards in Germany.
(Ministry of Human Capacities/MTI)
