Ladies and gentleman,

on 15 May, we will celebrate the International Day of Families. It is a special day and a holiday for all of us. Families are the most important social unit – they are raising children, who are the future of the nation, the driving force of the economy.

Polish families are finally getting to be appreciated and noticed. The symbol of this change is the new name of my ministry – the Ministry of the Family, Labour and Social Policy. It is not without reason that family is at the very beginning.

Our activities are addressed to you, Polish families. The ‘Family 500 plus’ programme is the first and most important step in this change. Since 1989, there has been no such broad support for Polish families.

Thank you for the daily effort that you put into raising next generations of Poles.

I wish you a lot of strength, joy, health and satisfaction from being a parent and carer. You are the ones who build Poland and I believe that it will be better for that reason.

 Elżbieta Rafalska

Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy