urgently tackle rampant poverty in the former Communist nation amid reports that one in ten Hungarians can barely survive.
Bishop Mihaly Mayer said the government, which includes former Communists, wants his denomination to help in a poverty reduction program.
"It is the mission of our church to help those in need, but it is impossible for us to help all those in need without enough state support," he told BosNewsLife after a two day conference this weekend on poverty in Central and Eastern Europe.
"This is first of all the task of the government," he said. Mayer reflected opinions of delegates at the meeting, which was organized by the Hungarian Bishops Conference and the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation.
CONCERN
Hungarian church leaders and other officials expressed concern that as Eastern Europe prepares to join the European Union, poverty could increase in the region. Following the collapse of communism, many state social structures disappeared, and unemployment increased as market reforms were implemented.
Bela Kadar, a former trade minister and now a member of the Monetary Council of the Hungarian National Bank, told ANS more than one million of Hungary’s 10 million people are impoverished.
Many of them are believed to be elderly, former workers and Gypsies also known as the Roma, one of Hungary’s most discriminated ethnic minorities.
TENSIONS
Bela told BosNewsLife this situation could lead to tensions, which he said threatened to hamper Hungary’s efforts to reach economic parity with European Union member countries.
"More than one tenth of the total population (are poor)," he explained. "It can generate political instability, social unrest, tensions, which are definitely not desirable in a catch-up economy."
Other Central and Eastern European nations are also struggling, especially in the Balkans, where people live on average monthly incomes of $180 or less. Among those hardest hit in the former Yugoslavia is Serbia, where at least one in four people is without a job.
WAR
Serbia’s chief councilor for poverty reduction, Jasmine Beba Kuka, said after more than a decade of war and the overthrow of President Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, expectations were high for economic recovery.
But as Serbia is preparing for early elections next month SerbS underestimated the legacy of the republic’s recent history.
"You cannot expect that poverty will be reduced in a period of three years," said Jasmine Beba Kuka in an interview with BosNewsLife. "We first had to accept that we are poor. I mean we inherited a lot of problems [from] the previous regime."
EU
Serbia, which forms a loose federation with tiny Montenegro, hopes to join the EU in the next decade. Yet, the EU is already anticipating difficulties when it incorporates 10 mainly former Communist countries next year.
Conference Organizer Klaus Weigelt of the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation stressed a concerted effort is required to fight poverty in the region. "Where you have targets, there is hope, and you can do something against poverty in your country and in the world," he added.
"And there is a need for a country-wide unity of people, who are engaged in helping poor people and fighting against poverty," Weigelt said.
He believes European Union enlargement may help to reduce poverty. But social workers have warned that EU expansion could lead to more poor people in Central and Eastern Europe, as income gaps increase, and many will not be able to keep up with the demands of a fast-paced market economy.
