EU Commission: Demography Report, a white-haired Europe. Upcoming “Green Paper on Ageing”

A 32-page Report on the impact of demographic change in Europe has been “adopted” by the European Commission today. It will be the starting point for a series of future actions, also in relation to the COVID-19 post-crisis recovery plans. The Report builds on data and graphs on the European population provided by Eurostat. It outlines the implications while also predicting what policies will be needed in the future. The Commission intends to prepare a “Green Paper on Ageing” and a “Long-term Vision for Rural Areas”. Overall, the Report points to the need to embed demographic considerations (an ageing Europe accounting for a declining share of the world’s population) across EU policies. The Report was launched in parallel with a dedicated website providing analyses of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on demography. The Commission also announced it would engage in a dialogue with relevant stakeholders to discuss with them the crucial aspects related to the EU’s demographic trends. “The crisis has exposed many vulnerabilities, some of which are linked to the profound demographic change already affecting our societies and communities”, said Vice President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica. This should orient our decisions in the areas of “healthcare, welfare, public budgets and public life in the next decades” with a view to building fairer and more resilient societies.
Sarah Numico