ISTANBUL/ANKARA

Hungary is the only EU country protecting the traditional family model, the country’s culture and innovation minister said Monday.

“I’m here at the International Family Forum as the only country coming from the EU. This is a problem, but this is not Türkiye’s problem. This is the EU’s problem,” Balazs Hanko told Anadolu following his participation in the forum held in Istanbul.

“We are fighting for the traditional family model, because so many countries in the EU, and centralized decision makers in the EU, are not family friendly,” Hanko said.

He praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his support of the traditional family model.

Underlining that he has a “really good relationship and professional collaboration” with Türkiye’s Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, Hanko said: “Because of our close collaboration, many policies introduced here in Türkiye were inspired by Hungarian examples, as Hungary is a family-friendly country with a family-friendly government.”

Over the last decade and a half, Türkiye has introduced many family-friendly policies, Hanko noted.
 

“If you ask the Hungarians, 98% of the Hungarians, we say that the most important thing is my family, but it's not an easy issue in the EU. That's why our first goal is to protect the traditional family model,” he said.

“There is LGBTQ propaganda, gender propaganda coming from the EU. But we want to stop it,” he said. “We want to have the freedom for our children. We want to have a clear climate for our children.”

He highlighted that “LGBTQ propaganda” is forbidden in Hungarian schools or for those under 18, adding that the country brought forward debate on the issue with the European Commission.  

Financial support to families

Hungary plans to significantly expand its pro-family policies in the coming year, allocating 5% of its GDP to support families and encourage higher birth rates, Hanko said.

Speaking about the government’s priorities, he underlined that providing financial assistance to families is a central part of Hungary’s strategy to address demographic challenges.

“We want to give financial support to our families to have more children,” he said.

As part of these efforts, Hungary will implement new tax reduction measures, with a key initiative being the exemption of nearly all mothers from paying personal income tax.

The 3rd International Family Symposium, organized in cooperation between Türkiye’s Family and Social Services Ministry and the Istanbul Family Foundation, will also be held May 30-31 on Democracy and Freedom Island in the Sea of Marmara.

With Anadolu as its global communications partner, the symposium will host domestic and international academics, experts and policymakers.

The event will present scientific and practical recommendations on protecting, strengthening, and passing on the family structure to future generations.