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1. Existence of a National Strategy on social inclusion

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority

4. Revisions/ Updates

Existence of a National Strategy on social inclusion

There is no Hungarian strategy directly for the social integration of young people, however, several official documents are related to the inclusion of youth.

The two main such strategies are:

• National Youth Strategy 2009-2024 (Nemzeti Ifjúsági Stratégia 2009-2024)
• National Social Inclusion Strategy 2030 (Magyar Nemzeti Társadalmi Felzárkózási Stratégia 2030).

In addition to these two documents, there are important laws and decrees, as well as other strategy documents are linked to the topic of inclusion for youth:

• Act CXXV of 2003 on equal treatment and the promotion of equal opportunities (2003. évi CXXV. törvény az egyenlő bánásmódról és az esélyegyenlőség előremozdításáról)
• Parliament Decree 47/2007 on 'Be Better for Children!' National Strategy 2007-2032 (47/2007. (V. 31.) OGY határozat a 'Legyen jobb a gyermekeknek!' Nemzeti Stratégiáról, 2007-2032)
• Government Decree 1744/2013 on National Crime Prevention Strategy 2013-2023 (1744/2013. (X. 17.) Korm. határozat a Nemzeti Bűnmegelőzési Stratégiáról 2013-2023)
• Public Education Strategy 2021 - 2030 (Köznevelési stratégia 2021 - 2030)
• National Action Plan 2030 on the Child Guarantee (A gyermekek jogainak garanciáit biztosító nemzeti cselekvési terv 2030).

Finally, the Catching-up Settlements programme (Felzárkózó települések program) is also relevant when it comes to the social inclusion of youngsters.

Scope and contents

National Youth Strategy

The National Youth Strategy (referred hereinafter to as NYS) is discussed in more detail in chapter 1 (1.3. National Youth Strategy). Areas of NYS that connect to social integration are related to the main principles of solidarity and responsibility. The goals of NYS are horizontal; its primary aim is the provision of equal opportunities through prevention of social exclusion and marginalisation of youth.

National Social Inclusion Strategy

In 2021, the Hungarian Government adopted the new National Social Inclusion Strategy 2030 (Magyar Nemzeti Társadalmi Felzárkózási Stratégia 2030, referred hereinafter to as NSIS 2030) that builds on the experience of previous years. The main priorities and intervention directions of the previous strategy (in force between 2014 and 2020) are thus continued by the new strategy.

The NSIS 2030 includes seven main areas of intervention in Hungary:

• birth and childhood,
• education (from kindergarten to university),
• youth affairs,
• employment,
• territorial inequalities, settlement development,
• physical and mental health, health care, and
• Roma identity, enforcement of rights.

The three main horizontal aims of the NSIS 2030:

• equal access to public services,
• development of the situation of Roma women, and
• digitalisation.

Sure Start Children Centres

The most important step of the strategy against child poverty has been the establishment of Sure Start Children Centres (Biztos Kezdet Gyerekház), the aims of which are the development of parenting competences and to implement complex improvement measures for disadvantaged children in their early childhood.

According to ministry information, the programme has been running since 2009, initially with funding from the European Union. Since 2012, the government has supported the programme from the central budget. Since 2013, it has been part of the child protection system, which is a state guarantee for the programme. At the beginning of 2022, 107 children's homes were in operation. In 2023, 177 children's homes will be funded nationwide. Under the programme, underprivileged children under the age of 3 who are not cared for in an institution and their families receive services. Participants receive professional help for their movement, language and mental development.

Also, the government is continuously increasing the number of nursery and kindergarten places to reduce the access inequality to childcare services.

Action Plan for the Implementation of the NSIS 2030

The Strategy's lines of intervention set out the main tasks, while the three-year action plans describe the programmes and interventions through which the government will contribute to poverty reduction. Therefore, the government adopted the Action Plan 2021-2024 for the Implementation of the NSIS 2030 and set the tasks of the relevant actors. The responsible minister has to prepare regular reports on the results of the implementation of the strategy, first time in May 2023, then in every two years. 

Act CXXV of 2003 on equal treatment and the promotion of equal opportunities

The Act CXXV of 2003 on equal treatment and the promotion of equal opportunities defines the specific groups that are at risk of suffering from discrimination and also determines the possible sanctions for the different forms of discrimination. The NSIS 2030 emphasizes four main specific groups from the Act that have higher priority in the Strategy:

• nationality,
• social origin,
• financial background,
• settlement.

Parliament Decree 47/2007 on 'Be Better for Children!' National Strategy 2007-2032

Parliament Decree 47/2007 on 'Be Better for Children!' National Strategy 2007-2032 [47/2007. (V. 31.) OGY határozat a 'Legyen jobb a gyermekeknek!' Nemzeti Stratégiáról, 2007-2032] includes a 25-year plan for the improvement of the situation of children. Creation of opportunities for children is an important priority of the document. These aims primarily mean

• reduction of poverty,
• social integration and
• elimination or reduction of reproductive poverty.

According to ministry information, part of the strategy was the establishment of a technical committee made up of experts delegated by the government, professional and civic organisations and experts. The task of the committee is to monitor the implementation of the strategy, develop it further and analyse the data. The committee has 33 members and meets twice a year. 

National Crime Prevention Strategy

The main objectives of the National Crime Prevention Strategy are to prevent juvenile delinquency, improve public safety, prevent victimisation, support victims and prevent recidivism. Youth is not considered as a specific target group. From the beginning of 2024, a new strategy (Nemzeti Bűnmegelőzési Stratégia 2024-2034) was formulated taking into account current social processes. 

The Public Education Strategy 2021 - 2030

The main objectives of the strategy are the development and support of underperforming and disadvantaged students in formal education. [For more information on the strategy, see sub-chapter 6.3 Preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET)]

National Action Plan 2030 on the Child Guarantee

The National Action Plan 2030 on the Child Guarantee (A gyermekek jogainak garanciáit biztosító nemzeti cselekvési terv 2030) aims at improving the well-being of children and reduce poverty through the development of the existing strategies, programmes, initiatives and planning new ones.

The target group of the Action Plan are children at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) including:

• children who have become homeless, 
• children with disabilities,
• children with mental health problems,
• children receiving alternative care and
• children from third countries in vulnerable situations.

The responsible ministry for the implementation is the Ministry of Interior (Belügyminisztérium) and they cooperate closely with the 

• Ministry of Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium),
• Ministry for National Economy (Nemzetgazdasági Minisztérium),
• Ministry of Energy (Energiaügyi Minisztérium), and
• Ministry of Construction and Transport (Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium).

The first monitoring of the Action Plan will take place in 2025 at latest, and then, in every two years.

Catching-up Settlements programme

In 2019, the Hungarian government launched an independent programme, the Catching-up Settlements programme (Felzárkózó települések program), for the social inclusion of disadvantaged settlements and people living there. The aim of this comprehensive programme is to reach the 300 most disadvantaged settlements, with a focus on children and youth.

Charities and NGOs are also involved in the implementation of the programme. The main coordinator is the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta. The number of settlements that were included in the programme in recent years have increased.

A variety of measures is used depending on local conditions:

• social assistance,
• early childhood development and health care services,
• education and training activities,
• work socialisation and skills development,
• housing interventions/measures,
• crime prevention, reduction of drug use, victim assistance, and
• necessary infrastructural investments.

From 2023, the programme basically relies on European Union funds.

Responsible authority

Between 2014 and 2020, the field of youth policy in Hungary belonged to the Minister of State for Family, Youth (2017), but social inclusion and integration issues belonged to the Minister of State for Social Affairs and Social Inclusion (2017) - both under the same ministry: the Ministry of Human Capacities.

From 2022, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium) is responsible for youth policies and the State Secretariat for Social Inclusion, belongs to the Ministry of Interior (Belügyminisztérium). (For more information, see sub-chapter 4.2 Administration and Governance.)

Evaluation of the previous National Social Inclusion Strategy (2014-2020)

In 2020, the Kopint-Tárki Institute for Economic Research prepared a report (Evaluation of the implementation of the Hungarian National Social Inclusion Strategy) to the former Ministry for Innovation and Technology that perceived the implementation of the previous NSIS (2014-2020).

According to this report, the quantified indicators of the strategy (income poverty, material deprivation and unemployment) have continuously improved; however, the relative situation of those living in deep poverty has not changed significantly. The evaluation made further suggestions for the next strategy.

The Report examined the provisions in 7 sectoral areas:

• child welfare and child protection services,
• educational performance, school segregation,
• employment, employability,
• health care,
• housing,
• reducing regional disparities, and
• cultural dialogue, awareness-raising, antidiscrimination.

Youth Researches

A comprehensive overview of youth is available in the Hungarian youth research history. The large sample survey repeated every 4 years examines the situation of young people between the age of 15 and 29 and the changes affecting their lives. The last research was in 2020.

Report on the provisions for the promotion of those living under the poverty line

The State Audit Office of Hungary - which is the supreme financial and economic audit institution of the National Assembly – has a report on the poverty in 2020. This is about helping those living below the poverty line. In 2010, one-third of the population of Hungary, about 3 million people, lived below the poverty line. Since 2010, governments have devoted significant resources to the reduction of poverty and social exclusion. In 2018, 18.9% of the total population, 1 813 000 people, were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. The decrease was significantly higher than the 2020 commitments (State Audit Office of Hungary, 2020).

Revisions/Updates

As the previous social inclusion strategy expired in 2020, a new Social Inclusion Strategy [National Social Inclusion Strategy 2030 (Magyar Nemzeti Társadalmi Felzárkózási Stratégia 2030)] has been developed. This continues the objectives of the previous strategy, builds on the social services and supports its operation. According to the Action Plan 2021-2024 of the strategy, the responsible ministers had to prepare the first reports on the implementation of the strategy in 2023, but there is no public information on the reports.