While in France, the birth rate recorded its lowest rate in 2023 since the end of the Second World War, according to data published on January 16 by INSEE, the question of demography is one of the continent’s major challenges. European.
Euronews spoke to Commissioner Dubravka Suica, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for democracy and demography during a summit on demography held in Athens, Greece.
“Europe is not an aging continent, but a continent where people live longer”, the commissioner immediately emphasizes. And to specify that this trend constituted a boon for European nations facing the labor shortage, in particular.
“We don’t have enough people, we don’t have enough human capital here in Europe, but also in Greece, and in many other member states“, insists the Commissioner, who recalls that last October she presented a new roadmap to face this crucial challenge.
Because between the observed decline in the birth rate, the massive aging of the population and the shortage of skills, the labor market in Europe tends to stiffen, which increases the pressure on businesses and public finances. A worrying equation because the more the number of retirees increases, the more pensions and social security contributions risk decreasing.
In the toolbox which was presented in October, the Commissioner detailed four pillars for managing European demographic change. The first pillar is based on supporting parents by enabling them to better reconcile family life and work while guaranteeing them access to childcare services.
The second pillar aims to support young people in order to develop their skills to enable them to access employment and housing.
The third pillar focuses on older generations: the Commission encourages States to “act and preserve their prosperity by carrying out reforms combined with appropriate policies concerning the labor market and workplaces”.
If the third pillar is not trivial, since it encourages States to increase the employment rate of seniors, it is the fourth pillar which has also caused a lot of tension since the Commission explains that, “If it’s happened”For “addressing labor shortages”States should be able to resort “to managed legal migration, in full complementarity with the use of EU talents”.
“Europe must find a way out”emphasizes Dubravka Suica. “So this is why we installed the fourth pillar, which concerns migrants and when I say migrants, I mean legal migrants. I know that this subject is very sensitive. We are talking about brain drain, but not just brain drain, (we’re talking about) brain gain and brain circulation. So these people can gain knowledge here in Europe and go back home.”
To help states address demographic challenges, Commissioner Suica told Euronews that the EU was providing tools for housing, the operation of the common market and infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, while specifying that although new digital technologies could help, they could not replace humans in many tasks and social actions.