Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said there are two theories as to why fewer children are being born. In one, people have changed and follow a different life philosophy: raising a child requires a lot of care and effort, and instead people opt for a more comfortable life. In the other, they encounter various obstacles, so young people decide to delay the responsibility, adult life that comes with having children — postponing marriage and parenthood.
The Western response," Orban continued, "is that there are many people in the world who want to leave where they are. Let’s allow them in among us. It will boost our population, and we will make up for having fewer of our own children by bringing in foreigners. Thinking it makes no difference, one-for-one: the economy’s capacity won’t decline and living standards will remain sustainable.
PM Orban: Hungarians Build on Family Support, Not Migration
The Prime Minister added that this is the ultimate reason for migration. Some countries have allowed such an extent of foreign influx into their own territory that it has already altered the cultural character of major Western European cities. There are more foreigners in schools than native children, the threat of terrorism is growing, and public safety is deteriorating.
We have not taken that path. We said that if there are obstacles in life — especially financial ones — that make it harder for young people to start a family, then we should remove them. Let’s create family-friendly policies that allow the desired children to be born! Our goal should be that in Hungary, if someone has a child, they should be better off financially,
Viktor Orban emphasized.
