Minister of State for Social Affairs and Inclusion Károly Czibere welcomed the fact that the European Union had completed its report on Hungary ahead of schedule, adding that there is agreement between Hungary and the EU regarding the main goals.

In a telephone interview with national news agency MTI, Mr Czibere said that there is still time for further coordination before the document is formally approved in the summer. He said that the main goals are economic growth, job creation and promoting employment.

“These goals are in perfect harmony with those of the Hungarian government”, Mr Czibere said. He recalled that last year, Hungary had had solid economic growth, unemployment had been decreasing and employment rates had been on the rise.

After the meeting of the EU labour ministers, the Minister of State said that while the report does deal with the issues of poverty, social cohesion and inclusion; it failed to acknowledge that certain key indicators such as poverty rate had shown a significant improvement last year. He said that he had held talks with several EU general directors, and agreed to continue the dialogue and Hungary would also make sure that Brussels officials are informed of the government’s plans and initiatives in a timely manner so that conflicts and disagreements can be resolved in time as well.

The Minister of State pointed out that making nursery school compulsory from September on as a means of improving social inclusion, and that almost every child would be offered three meals per day in nurseries from next year, had been welcomed.

While the EU report expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the Hungarian public employment scheme, Mr Czibere said it is regarded as an important means of involving those in the workforce who had not been active for decades. According to the Minister of State, the public employment scheme is also determining means in combating poverty since here, the net minimum wage is two and a half times higher than what would be paid in social benefits.

Also, Mr Czibere stressed that it is obviously important that public employment is not the main goal but a temporary means of helping people get back into the workforce.

(Ministry of Human Capacities)