Immigration, one of the answers to Europe’s demographic ageing
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 29 January 2025 (6th sitting) (see Doc. 16072, report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and
Displaced Persons, rapporteur: Ms Kate Osamor). Text adopted by the Assembly on
29 January 2025 (6th sitting).
1. The Parliamentary Assembly notes
that, in the past decade, the global refugee population has more
than doubled, reaching more than 36.4 million refugees, according
to data of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). In most cases, refugees in Africa, who were fleeing
war, persecution and the climate crisis, were not able to reach
Europe or North America and took shelter in neighbouring countries.
By UNHCR’s calculations, in 2023, Uganda recorded 1.6 million people
of concern, including 1.5 million refugees. Another country, Ethiopia,
which is at the crossroads of several of the world’s largest refugee
crises, was host to over 900 000 refugees in 2023, and Chad was
the 10th largest host community for refugees with more than 700 000
refugees recorded in the same year. Most have escaped conflict in
Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.
2. Migration pressure has become a key issue for Europe. European
solidarity to host refugees has been limited, but some countries
have provided sanctuary. Türkiye hosts 3.4 million refugees, including
3.3 million Syrians under temporary protection. Germany hosts 2.5
million refugees, which largely include people from Syria and Ukraine.
Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, accommodates nearly
60% of all refugees from there. Sadly, however, there are countries
that have refused to contribute to the common effort of receiving asylum
seekers.
3. The Assembly deplores the fact that the rising populist discourse
blames migrants for the failures of public policies. For political
reasons, non-European migrants are left without any chance of integrating
in a host community. Yet, many countries in Europe are confronted
with considerable changes due to population ageing and the newly
arriving migrants could, if given such an opportunity, integrate,
work and live decently in Europe, contributing like all other European
citizens to strengthening the society they live in.
4. Europeans are living longer than ever before, and the age
profile of society is rapidly developing. Due to demographic ageing,
the proportion of people of working age in Europe is shrinking,
while the number of older people is expanding. Several countries
have experienced a worrying reduction in the youth and working age cohorts
as opposed to the exponential growth of the number of retirees,
many of whom are reaching the fourth age, often associated with
dependency. This pattern will continue in the next few decades,
as the post-Second World War baby boom generation completes its
move into retirement.
5. At a personal level, physical and cognitive impairments brought
on by ageing increase dependency. These impairments may lead to
reduced mobility, resulting in increased vulnerability and, often,
social isolation and loneliness. The help of social care workers
may be of vital importance in meeting older dependent people’s daily
transport or care needs and in ensuring a minimum of social contact,
which, alongside healthcare, improves emotional well-being. It should
be noted that long-term care in Europe is very often provided by informal
carers such as family members and friends – mainly spouses and children,
whose care work is not recognised.
6. Demographic ageing will have profound implications, not only
for individuals, but also for public services, businesses and civil
society, which will affect, among others: health and social care
systems, labour markets, public finances and pension entitlements.
Demographic indicators that describe the latest developments for
an ageing Europe show that, in a time span of fifty years, the old
age dependency ratio is projected to more than double. This old
age dependency ratio for the European Union-27 was 25.9% in 2001.
It will reach 56.7% by 2050, when there will be fewer than two people
of working age for each older person. As a result, the elderly population
will require increasing support to meet their needs, and future
generations will find themselves having to bear the costs for an
ageing society with less social security and a weaker public welfare
system.
7. The Assembly is convinced that the current demographic ageing
therefore requires positive action to help support an increase in
birth rates and assist parents with child upbringing. More generous
policies are needed to raise fertility rates at the national and
European levels. This is, however, not sufficient. 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
of this phenomenon, for the benefit of all.
8. The Assembly therefore calls Council of Europe member States
to develop, as a matter of priority, effective policies and initiatives
to ensure the well-being and quality of life of the elderly population.
Countries need to build a “longevity society” which aims to promote
healthy ageing and exploit the advantages of longer quality lives.
It requires a cultural shift, investments in research and the development
of social policies that empower older citizens to move towards a
more inclusive, healthy and prosperous society for all generations.
9. In parallel to that, States should strive to improve their
policies promoting the general integration of migrants and social
cohesion. Comprehensive, multidimensional and gender-responsive
integration policies must be implemented, from the regularisation
of undocumented migrant workers in the informal economy to the promotion
of direct and targeted aid in local communities and job training.
Failure to address migrants’ integration needs would lead to negative
outcomes, including social tension, cultural clashes and economic disparities,
with a decline in overall well-being for all.
10. The Assembly strongly encourages member States to support
programmes aimed at building bridges between various communities.
In this context, public authorities should consider investing in
relevant capacity-building measures for civil society organisations.
Promoting engagement within existing social infrastructures, such
as membership of sports associations or participation in local festivals
and events, can also lead to more sustainable integration.
11. The Assembly strongly believes that intergenerational and
intercultural co-operation programmes can improve social links.
There is no development without intergenerational co-operation.
Intergenerational learning for children brings higher self-esteem
and helps them make new friendships. As for older people, they feel
valued, their health and well-being improve and they are less isolated
and learn new skills, including the use of new technologies. Finally,
their general physical well-being improves. Communities, families
and family networks together benefit from intergenerational learning,
thanks to the social inclusion that is brought by intergenerational
solidarity.
12. The Assembly underscores the importance of developing European
programmes to support non-formal education and to provide space
for intergenerational and intercultural solidarity. Adequate recognition
and resources are needed to help newly arriving persons socialise
and get access to public services or informal support. Creating
spaces for informal meetings, where intergenerational and intercultural
contact is possible, should be key in developing policies at the
local, national and international levels.
13. The Assembly calls upon member States to put into practice
its
Resolution 2502 (2023) “Integration
of migrants and refugees: benefits for all parties involved”, acting
in particular to:
13.1 establish
a new social contract, which sets out the rights and responsibilities
of all parties involved in the integration process. Acceptance of
this new social contract depends on the existence of democratic
practices that build social support. Highlighting the rights and
responsibilities of the newly arriving populations provides clarification
from the start and builds trust and respectful co-operation between
local communities and the beneficiaries of resettlement programmes;
13.2 support mentoring programmes and the work of “integration
guides”;
13.3 develop nationwide interpretation services to support
integration;
13.4 enhance education, from language training to democratic
citizenship and human rights education;
13.5 improve recognition of skills obtained abroad;
13.6 take into consideration the special needs of vulnerable
groups, such as women, children, including unaccompanied children,
elderly people, persecuted religious minorities, people with disabilities,
members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex (LGBTQI+)
community, stateless people and others, who need specific support
in order to successfully integrate into the host country;
13.7 create spaces to bring migrants, refugees and the local
community together;
13.8 improve financial settings, with a person-centred approach
to integration support and adaptation of national services to take
into account specific needs and circumstances;
13.9 develop targeted housing policies for affordable and decent
accommodation;
13.10 invest in social cohesion with partnerships between private
investors, public authorities and civil society organisations;
13.11 match migrant skills with job opportunities to support
access to the labour market;
13.12 develop effective communication strategies to support
integration, including a more positive narrative towards refugees
and asylum seekers;
13.13 ensure respect for the dignity of refugees and migrants
in the media, while avoiding messages that are stigmatising, xenophobic,
racist, alarmist or inaccurate;
13.14 develop welcoming programmes at the municipal level which
emphasise diversity as an advantage;
13.15 enhance public health support for vulnerable refugees
and migrants.
14. Urban planning needs to be reconsidered towards enhancing
multicultural and intergenerational solidarity at the local level.
Projects aimed at bringing together the ageing population and the
newly arriving migrants and refugees need to be supported, including
through specific measures to facilitate the integration of refugees
and migrants and to help elderly people cope with loneliness and
dependency due to old age. Bringing different generations together
is essential.
15. Care-related challenges in the urban and rural settings would
need special consideration. Immigration can be one means through
which Europe could fulfil its current and future labour shortages
in care provision occupations, thereby decreasing the caregiver
support ratio. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development, foreign-born workers already make up around 20%
of the current caregiver workforce, or even more, taking into account
the large informal and home-based care provision. In general, most
foreign-born long-term care workers immigrated through non-economic
channels. These people arrived through other legal pathways for
admission, such as family reunification, student visas, general
migration routes for non-specialised workers and international protection.
16. The Assembly strongly encourages member States to develop
policies to attract high-skilled migrants to enhance Europe’s capacity
to meet future challenges. The European Union member States and
candidate countries should support the implementation of the EU
Blue Card (Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 20 October 2021 on the conditions of entry and
residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified
employment, and repealing Council Directive 2009/50/EC), which is
a work and residence permit for non-European Union/European Economic
Area nationals that provides comprehensive socio-economic rights
and a path towards permanent residence and European Union citizenship.
17. Finally, States should foster positive communication and information
in local communities and counter hate speech in public discourse.
It is now crucial to move from emergency approaches to facing migration
to structural and sustainable approaches.
