“Once and for all, we must share the fact that population policies are investment policies that shape our future”. In an interview with SIR News Agency, Vincenzo Bassi, President of the Brussels-based Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE), commented on the latest Eurostat study which reveals a very small number of families (one in four) with children in the “Old Continent”. “It Is time for European countries to discuss together the desire to bring new lives into the world, especially today in this time of demographic winter”, said Mr Bassi. “This is why the issue is urgent and cannot be thought of solely as a social policy”. The President of FAFCE added: “Without demographic growth, Europe will lack both social and economic stability. Indeed, the so-called Maastricht criteria – public debt, deficit, and inflation – will be impossible to meet”.