"The Assembly is convinced that current demographic ageing requires, therefore, positive action to help support not merely an increase in birth rates, but adopting measures to put parents in a position to exercise their right to freely and responsibly decide the number and spacing of the children they want. Establishing family work-life balance measures, such as parental leave, accessible childcare services and tax benefits, will make work and education more compatible with young professionals' career choices in order to help young couples with their choice and assist parents with child upbringing. Because future generation and family policies are not a cost to the States' balance of accounts but a social investment contributing to the human capital to tackle the demographic crisis, it is necessary to work for intergenerational equity, ensuring policies that equitably support young families and older generations. More generous and family-friendly policies such as the European Demographic Toolbox - the priorities of which are supporting parents as well as younger and older generations - are needed to raise fertility rates at national and European levels, bringing a true economic and social long-term solution to the demographic crisis. Additionally, adequate integration policies for newly arriving persons are needed to bridge the population pyramid gaps due to rapid demographic ageing. Specific measures must, therefore, be taken to avoid severe macro-economic and social implications, for the benefit of all, bearing in mind that the priority to tackle the whole demographic crisis, beyond ageing, is still to invest in family policies."