14/09/2026 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The demographic change in Europe, marked by low birth rates, population ageing, shrinking cohorts of working-age people and depopulation of rural areas, requires adaptation and mitigation measures “that focus on people’s rights, choices and empowerment”, the Committee on Social Affairs said, drawing on a report by Georgios Stamatis (Greece, EPP/CD).
This report, adopted today by the committee, emphasises that “this profound demographic change” results from a combination of factors: economic insecurity, high costs of housing and childcare, difficulties in reconciling work and family life, fertility issues, unequal sharing of care responsibilities, weakness of public services and insufficient support for disadvantaged families.
In order to address the negative economic and social impacts of demographic decline, the committee underlined the need to “strengthen family-friendly measures” in all their diversity. It recommends, in particular, adopting coherent, long-term and inclusive demographic strategies focused on improving accessibility of early childhood care and reproductive health services, expanding and better compensating parental leave for mothers and fathers, strengthening measures against workplace discrimination linked to motherhood and caregiving, encouraging flexible working arrangements, and investing in social housing for young adults.
Beyond mainstream policies supporting parenthood, the committee called on member states to implement policies to promote “active ageing”, autonomy and lifelong learning, and to strengthen prevention approaches to quality long-term care and accessibility, recognising older persons as contributors to intergenerational solidarity.