Social solidarity is the engine of the Erzsébet Programme launched by the Government last year on which Parliament also passed a law in June. The essence of the programme is that employers may provide Erzsébet Vouchers for their employees for meals and catering services as a benefit over and above the basic pay, and the state revenue derived from the distribution of the vouchers is used by the State solely for the purposes of social holiday schemes.

Consequently, the Erzsébet Programme itself generates the funds necessary for social holiday schemes and thereby creates new resources in the social care network. On the other hand, it represents a new form of social solidarity as it offers disadvantaged groups the chance of going on holiday whilst not withdrawing funds from others.

In the first year of the programme, more than 14 thousand disadvantaged children and 75 thousand disadvantaged individuals were able to go on holiday; many, amongst them, never previously or only many years ago could last afford to spend a holiday by, for instance, one of Europe’s most beautiful lakes, Lake Balaton, that is also referred to as the “Hungarian sea”. Needy pensioners, individuals with disabilities, large families and workers in the social, child welfare and child protection sector may enjoy a holiday in Hungary’s beautiful tourist destinations who would not have the chance of going on holiday without this programme. In the camps organised for needy children, children have access to leisure time facilities and programmes which their parents would find very difficult to finance or could not afford at all; horse riding, various sports, language learning, dance classes, a variety of craft workshops, etc.

The programme is also designed to significantly reduce the number of children who do not have access to several meals a day and healthy food suited to their age.

The Government has recently appointed Zoltán Guller as ministerial commissioner for the fulfilment and development of the tasks related to the government-level coordination of the implementation of the highly successful Erzsébet Programme.

(Ministry of Public Administration and Justice)