BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Central European leaders signed a joint declaration on Thursday saying immigration should not be the answer to the European Union’s declining birth rate, while calling on the bloc to keep family policy under national jurisdiction.

While Hungary’s strong anti-immigrant policies are well-received by many of its citizens, it has been a stark contrast to the other countries in the bloc. The EU has also criticised central European countries’ policies regarding social issues like gay rights.

The statement signed by prime ministers from Hungary, Poland and Slovenia, as well as the president of Serbia (which is not an EU member), stated that “Increasing Europe’s number of children is essential for preserving Europe’s Christian culture, and other religious traditions, for future generations.”

Migration should not be considered the primary tool for addressing demographic problems.

Viktor Orban is the Hungarian Prime minister and faces a close-fought election in 2014. He has become more radical about social policy in order to preserve what he believes are Christian traditional values that have been displaced by Western liberalism. In the wake of Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, Orban has intensified his anti-immigration campaign.

Orban is a strong supporter of Muslim immigration to Europe and visited a steel barrier at the EU’s Serbian border on Wednesday along with Andrej Babis, his Czech counterpart.

Babis, who is facing an election within two weeks also faces, is running on a strong anti-migrant platform.

Eurostat data show that the birth rate in Europe has declined since 2000. In 2019, 1.53 live births were recorded per woman, well below the mark of 2.1, which is considered adequate to stop a drop in population.

Babis said that “the only lasting solution against Europe’s extinction is to increase its birth rate.” This was stated at the Budapest Demographic Summit where central European leaders released their joint statement.

The pandemic has helped the central European economies recover, but companies are having difficulty finding workers in the face of tighter labour markets.