Europeans are living longer and having fewer children, a situation which could reduce the European population by 48 million between now and 2050. Falling birth rates and raising life expectancy are just two of the reasons behind European demographic changes which are expected to have major social, economic and financial implications for Europe.
In response to this so-called "demographic time bomb", the Commission have launched a White paper, "The Demographic future of Europe - from challenge to opportunity".
The document sets out 5 different areas for concrete actions to help member states take national action on demographic change:
Helping people to balance work, family and private life so that potential parents can have the number of children they desire.
Improving work opportunitites for older people;
Increasing potentially productivity and competitiveness by valuing the contributions of both older and younger employees.
Harnessing the positive impact of migration for the job market
Ensuring sustainable public finances to help guarantee social protection in the longterm.
In a press release, Commissioner Vladmir Spidla for Employment, social Affairs and Equal Opportunities asserted the need for immediate action and reform and highlighted the importance of making work patterns more flexible to enable people to have children when they want them.
Social NGOs are disappointed with the Communication
Despite the seemingly positive approach from the Commission, Social NGOs have expressed their disappointment with the Communication, which according to the social platform shows the EC to be sticking "to its own narrow position of thinking that the sole answer to to the challenge of demographic ageing is to keep people at work for longer"
The Social platform have also highlighted that the Communication focuses too much on the financial aspects of demographic change including the impact on pensions and health care expenditure. The Communication does not give enough consideration to the "necessary qualitative changes to the economic, social and political structures of society"
The European Older People’s Platform (AGE), the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) and the European Youth Forum (YFJ) have also stressed the importance of consulting NGOs as key stakeholders in tackling demographic change.
The three organisations have combined to assert the need for "an integrated and coordinated EU policy approach particularly in the areas of equality between women and men, education, access to employment and social integration for all, reconciliation of work and private life, active ageing, migration, longterm care for elderly, financial sustainability of social protection systems, housing, urban development and transport."
First Demography forum
As a follow up to the Communication, the Commission hosted the first forum on demographic change on October 30th and 31st. The event was made up of 400 representatives from Member states and experts from around the world.
The idea behind the forum was to enable member states to identify and exchange best practices on ageing policies and to dissuade member states from seeing an ageing population as a threat to Europe’s economic and social prosperity. The results of a European pilot for demographic change was also presented.
For Further Information:
The European Commission’s web pages on Social situation and demography
EPHA’s response to the 2005 Green paper on Demographic change
