On Wednesday the 30th of March 2011 Antoine Renard, President of the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations, presented a declaration to the Hungarian State Secretary of Social, Family and Youth Affairs, Dr Soltész Miklós in Budapest at the Scientific Conference on the State and Church for the Future Generations organised under the patronage of S.E.R. Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom‐Budapest and President of CCEE.
FAFCE warmly greets the initiatives taken by the Hungarian EU Presidency aiming at bringing the issue of the role of the family in the society, in particular with regard to the conciliation of family life and work, into the public debate.
Recalling that family policy is solely the competency of the EU Member States, that freedom of choice is necessary for thriving and sustainable families, and that parents are the first educators of their children and have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Parents therefore need time together with their children and support to fulfil their mission and responsibility as mothers and fathers.
FAFCE calls upon the Hungarian EU Presidency to encourage all EU Member States to consider the slogan ‘Europe for Families, Families for Europe’ in view of recognising the family as the wealth and future of Europe, not only from an economic point of view but also in terms of transmission of the core values that are the fundament of Europe: solidarity, unity and peace.
The FAFCE also emphasized that ‘family first’ is key to balance between family life and work, and that family life must help design working conditions rather than working conditions dictating the choice to found a family. This perspective is crucial if Europe wants to face the future with confidence, in particular for the generations to come.
