Hungary agrees with the objectives set out in the action plan discussed in Porto. Our priorities include increasing employment, effective adult education, and fighting against poverty. We can say, with appropriate modesty, that, because the Hungarian government began to pursue and achieve these goals much earlier, it has set a good example for our European partners. Judit Varga, Minister of Justice, said in her interview with our paper: by 2030, Hungary seeks to be among the best European countries to live, work, and raise children. The Justice Minister also disclosed the Hungarian numbers related to the Porto Social Summit:
According to this, while the final declaration of the Porto summit promises a 78 percent EU employment rate by 2030, this number in Hungary is already at around 75 percent.
„So, we have a reason to be ambitious. We essentially set a target of full employment with around 85 percent as our goal. The same tendency is observable in regard to adult education, we are well above the EU average” – emphasized the Minister who believes that though the 2010 employment-based Hungary model was initially criticized by the European Commission, its results are now admired across the continent. „If society values work and the government leaves as much money as possible in employee pockets, the economy can improve to such an extent that it raises wages on its own. In Hungary, the doubling of the minimum wage was not the result of top-down policy, but rather the success of cooperation among economic, social, and cultural actors”, Judit Varga summarized.
Untouchable Member State authority
The Minister also reminded in connection to the aforementioned combination, that this balance must be found separately for each EU country; the EU treaties also refer to the competences of the Member States in social matters. „Let Member States decide by what means they will reach their goals. We can set milestones together, but the EU should not interfere with how we reach them. Hungary is actually not alone in this belief, the northern states have a similar belief. The Swedish social model became outstanding because it too is unique and designed for its own capabilities” stated Judit Varga. She believes that there are efforts to move social policy towards communities, especially from southern Member States. However, as the Minister points out,
The Porto summit is not about mending treaties or re-ideologized debates, but about an inspiring exchange of experiences between Member States.