Dear participants,
Thank you very much for the opportunity to address you today.
I am grateful to the First Lady of Lithuania, Diana Nausediene, for hosting this conference.
“Investing in families” - the theme of this Summit is a core solution in managing demography in the European Union.
Life-expectancy in Europe has risen substantially over the last decades. It is now at 81.4 years.
And this is good news.
But at the same time, our fertility rate is at a new historic low of 1.35 births per woman on average in the European Union.
In France, the rate is 1.62 - above average. In Germany, it is at 1.35, whereas in Italy and in Lithuania, the fertility rate stands at 1.18, and in Poland even lower at 1.1.
In many countries this has contributed to a population decline.
These demographic trends have profound implications.
They intensify labour shortages and impact our competitiveness.
They lead to a need for upgraded facilities, higher capacity, and more people working in medical and long-term care.
They also put considerable pressure on the sustainability of our pension systems.
What can we do? What should we do?
In the past mandate, we strengthened the Child Guarantee, so that every child in Europe has access to basic rights, in particular healthcare and education.
In the face of the demographic transition, we need to increase our support to families.
Career opportunities often coincide with the period when couples are planning to have children.
People should have a choice.
They should be able to opt for taking time to look after their children, so we should promote flexible or part-time working models.
They should be in a position to grow their careers and have children at the same time. So, we need to provide quality childcare to avoid “either-or” decisions.
And they should have access to affordable housing. Families cannot settle down and grow, if there is no sufficient housing or if it is not affordable. We clearly need to tackle this trend, too.
At the European Commission, we have developed a Demography Toolbox with clear recommendations for policy measures.
We are now implementing it.
Reconciling family aspirations and paid work is one of the pillars.
Healthy ageing is another priority for our society.
And still this year, we will present an Affordable Housing Plan and a legal initiative on short-term rentals via online platforms.
Demographic change is a challenge for our social fabric.
Revitalising families must be at the heart of our action.
When we act together on all policy levels - local, national, and European - we will be able to turn these challenges into opportunities for our society.
Let me once again thank you all for taking this agenda forward and wish you a productive and inspirational debate.
