Care Policy Is a National Competence, and Family Is the Foundation of Care

During yesterday’s plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament held a debate on the report entitled “Advancing Towards a Care Society: Addressing the Gender Care Gap.” Pál Szekeres, Member of the European Parliament for Fidesz and rapporteur for the Patriots Group on the dossier, stressed during the debate: “We believe that family is the natural and primary unit of care.

The MEP welcomed the fact that the report recognizes the social role of 53 million informal caregivers — including grandparents — and supports the strengthening of pension entitlements.

At the same time, Pál Szekeres made it clear that family and social policy fall within the competence of the Member States: “I would like to emphasise that family and social policy are clearly national competences, and not a matter for Brussels statutes.”

In his speech, the representative also warned that the ideologically driven reduction of institutional elderly care, as well as the drain of care workers from poorer Member States, could lead to serious shortcomings in care provision.

He also underlined: “We do not accept the ideologically driven gender approach, nor the idea that migration should be regarded as the solution to labour shortages instead of supporting domestic workers.”