Minister of Human Capacities Zoltán Balog met his Serbian counterpart, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy Aleksandar Vulin on Wednesday in Budapest and discussed social and employment issues.

The two ministers agreed that – given the two countries’ vicinity – cooperation in social and labour issues is a priority. According to Minister Vulin, Hungary has extensive experience in the Europe-wide issue of reconciling problems of welfare versus employment.

DownloadMinister Balog said Hungary’s public employment scheme helps some 300,000 people and gives them a livelihood, adding that the number include 50,000 Roma with no previous employment history.

He highlighted that public employment workers were indispensable in preventing more serious damage during the recent floods. He also noted the success of the public employment scheme is also proven by the fact that the number of those living on welfare has dropped by 30 percent.

DownloadThe Serbian minister praised Hungary’s public employment scheme and said it was of particular interest that it also involved the Roma. The two sides agreed to share information on these topics on an ongoing basis.

(Ministry of Human Capacities)