Hungarian president warns of coming ‘demographic ice age’ in BYU speech
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As fertility rates drop worldwide, the president of Hungary warned of a coming “demographic ice age” Tuesday in a speech at Brigham Young University.
Elected in 2022, Katalin Novák is the first woman president of Hungary and, at age 46, its youngest. A married mother of three children ages 20, 17 and 15, she has hinged her presidency on encouraging marriage, strengthening families and reversing the declining birthrate in Hungary and around the world. Before becoming president, she served as the minister of Family Affairs.
“If we have no kids, we have no future, and having children is saving the world,” she said. “We speak always or very much about climate change, about the challenges we face and how we should protect our planet. But my main question is, “Why should we save our planet if not for the future generations?”
People in Europe, including Hungary, and other developed countries are not having children at a rate equal to replacement level, leading to what has been called a “demographic winter” into a “demographic ice age,” Novák told an overflow crowd at the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
“We are about to give up on our future,” she said.
Hungary, she said, decided 12 or 13 years ago to do something about it by focusing on families.
Novák was in Utah after speaking at the United Nations General Assembly and meeting with the governor of Texas last week as well as Elon Musk on Monday. She also sat down with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday to discuss Utah-Hungary relations and joint priorities, according to the governor’s office.
Meantime, Hungary’s nationalist prime minister Monday threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine in its war against Russia over concerns about the treatment of ethnic Hungarians.
But Novák declined Tuesday to comment on Viktor Orbán’s recent remarks, including the prime minister’s public backing of Donald Trump to win the 2024 presidential election.
“I don’t really want to comment on the prime minister’s statements. I don’t think it is a place and a time to do so,” Novák said during a question-and-answer session with students at Brigham Young University.
On Monday, Orbán threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine in its war against Russia over concerns about the treatment of ethnic Hungarians during a speech to lawmakers in parliament. The prime minister said he was protesting a 2017 Ukrainian law that limits ethnic Hungarians from speaking their own language, particularly in schools, and said Hungary would not support Ukraine on international issues “until the previous laws are restored.”
In Hungary, the prime minister serves as the head of government and exercises executive power. The president has limited power but may veto legislation and is the commander in chief of the armed forces.
In support of peace and families
In further response to the student’s question, Novák noted that Hungary is a direct neighbor to Ukraine.
“We do understand what this war is about. Maybe for those who live far away from this war (they) don’t really understand the situation the same way we do,” she said, adding there are 150,000 ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine who have lost their rights.
“What I think would be the most important is to reach peace,” Novák said. “I think in this process the role of the United States is unavoidable. ... The approach of the president of the United States is also very important, so if the president of the United States is in favor of peace in Ukraine, then we have more chance to achieve peace than if he isn’t.”
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During her prepared remarks, Novák talked about the importance of marriage and families.
The Hungarian constitution values families, including protecting marriage as the union of one man and one woman and the family as the basis for survival of the nation, she said.
In Hungary, people who have more children pay less in taxes. A mother with four children, for example, doesn’t pay personal income tax for life, she said. Also, women who have three children don’t have to repay a student loan. Mothers and fathers also may take up to three years of paid family leave.
As a result, she said, the number of marriages has doubled, abortions have been cut in half and the fertility rate has increased 30% in the past decade.
In April, she vetoed a bill that would have encouraged and enabled Hungarians to report same-sex couples who raise children to the state authorities, such as police and child protection.
Novák told students that if they want to have children, they shouldn’t be scared that they won’t be able to fulfill their career dreams. She said she decided not to postpone having children after getting married though she wanted to start a career. She was a stay-at-home mom for six years before taking a job in the government.
“Don’t be afraid of getting engaged. Don’t be afraid of having a family. Don’t be afraid of having kids and saying yes to life,” she said.
Lessons from motherhood
Asked what lessons from motherhood could be applied to diplomacy, Novák quickly said negotiation. “That is what you have to do in your family all the time,” she said. Sometimes, she added, negotiating with a teenager isn’t any easier than negotiating with a political opponent.
A devout Christian, Novák also talked about her relationship with God.
After being elected president, she said she found herself alone in her office in the presidential palace. She called her husband to share her feelings about her new job but he “hung up on me” because he was in a meeting. She called her parents but they had friends at the house. Her best friend didn’t answer her call.
Novák said while she thought about who she could share her experience with, she realized that she was not alone.
“Jesus Christ is there with me. And then from that moment on in my position as a president, I have always had this security, this feeling of security that I’m never alone. I’m never alone when it’s about making a very difficult decision. I’m not alone when it’s about protecting our fellow Hungarians who are living in Ukraine, a country hit by war,” she said.
“You shouldn’t be scared of anything either because you’re not alone.”
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Asked by a student what she thinks about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building a temple in Budapest, Novák said, “I’m happy for that. I think it is important.” The church announced construction of the temple in 2019 but does not have a groundbreaking date.
Hungary, she said, is not only renovating but building churches while many European countries are losing them.
“I think it is an important sign that we are not ready to give up on our Christianity. For us, Christianity is our predestination, I would say,” she said, adding it is part of the country’s history and future.
But Hungarians, she said, are not as open about their religion as Americans are because they had to hide their beliefs under previous communistic rule. Novák said she was baptized secretly in her grandparents’ home.
As a public figure, it’s important to articulate her faith and commitment to God. Novák said she reads the bible daily and participates in bible study groups to nurture her faith.
