Families cannot be replaced. They have no alternative and will always remain mainstream, Hungary's minister in charge of family affairs told public radio, where she shared her assessment of the 4th Demographic Summit in Budapest.

Speaking to public radio, Katalin Novak shared her delight that the summit was attended by many, and that its participants were in agreement that families have no alternative and that demographic problems must be dealt with. She said everyone agreed, that

the explicit solution to demographic problems is not mass immigration, but rather the provision of support for families.

Ms Novak described the agreement reached by the heads of state and government – in which they declared that supporting families is key, demographic problems can also be remedied by family support schemes and that the EU must also provide financial support to tackling demographic challenges – as a „great achievement”.

She pointed out that Hungary had concluded ministerial-level agreements with eight EU countries, in which they undertook to make a joint stance for representing family-oriented values during EU proposals, and to table initiatives that promote the support of families in Europe.

Ms Novak also stressed that whilst delivering her closing speech to a full house, she felt that the two-day summit was a power demonstration of sorts. The summit allowed for politicians, philosophers and academics, as well as representatives of family organisations and the religious sphere, to meet and exchange their views. The event was also attended by Olympic champions, who spoke of the importance of family, and it offered a number of cultural programs.

The minister in charge of families underlined that the government has been working for families for nearly 12 years now, and sees a realistic chance for a demographic turnaround. Achieving big changes usually takes two to three decades, or even a lifetime,which means that the government still has many tasks, she said.

She stressed that if Hungary was to veer off track – like it once did between 2002 and 2010 – then all the government has achieved in the field of family support in the past nearly two decades can be „destroyed fully.”

The summit was also a demonstration of strength in the sense that it was not solely attended by the leaders of Central and Eastern Europe, but also by the former vice president of the United States, Ms Novak said, adding that Mike Pence took a firm stance on family values and – whilst appearing surprisingly well-informed – acknowledged Hungary’s family policy. Although in 2015 Hungarians were alone in the EU, now we have 8 or 9 member states that are ready to firmly represent the interests of families, which Ms Novak described as a welcome change.

She called the summit an exciting experience, adding that its attendees have presented many examples on how to support families. The biggest lesson is that the summit has demonstrated that there are several good practices, and that we are still able to learn from each other, Katalin Novak said.