Familialism in Flux: Role of Europe and Reconciliation in Hungary

Abstract

The article analyses the Europeanisation of policies concerning the reconciliation of work and family life in Hungary from the 1990s to 2006 from a domestic actor-centred perspective. More specifically, it looks at how members of the Hungarian Parliament – from government and opposition parties – framed European requirements and/or standards and how they used references to European processes in their arguments. The article distinguishes three periods of Europeanisation. In the first period, references made to the European Union were sporadic. The second period, before 2004, was the period of legal harmonisation. Finally, in the third period, after the 2004 accession, the reconciliation of work and family life became an explicit goal of the government, usually with references made to European processes and European principles. Furthermore, the availability of European funding was an important trigger of reconciliation-related reforms. This analysis underlines the significance of using Europe for legitimating domestic policy changes going against the traditional family policy framework.