Greece is the latest European country, that is trying
to tackle its ageing and declining population. The new conservative government
of the New Democracy party announced that from the start of 2020, it would pay
each mother the amount of 2000 euros per new-born child.
The Balkan country’s population is one of the fastest
declining in the EU, a trend that has been made worse since the economic
crisis. Many of its young people decided either to migrate, or simply they do
not have the means to raise a family.
It is estimated that currently there are around 10.4
million people in Greece, down already from the just over 11 million a decade
ago and it is projected by some experts to be reduced even further, down to 8
million people in the coming decades.
In addition, the population is not only declining, but
it follows the continental trend of ageing. Fewer young people mean less
workers and thus taxpayers needed to support the increasing number of pensioners.
As result, not only there aren’t enough people to maintain a stable population,
but the economy is also being placed under a huge strain.
Greece is not the sole country in Europe that resulted
in such measures. Hungary has also previously granted tax exemptions for
couples with 4 or more children, together with many other benefits and subsidies.
The central European country’s Prime Minister, Victor
Orban, hailed this move as “the Hungarian way,” even though many in the
continent condemning such solution of being similar to that of a communist regime.
Despite this, Mr Orban has exploited the immigration
and population question in the European elections of May 2019. He cited that
Western Europe under pressure by the EU leadership, has accepted immigration as
the solution to the continent’s population decline.
According to him, the EU wants to fill Europe with immigrants,
primarily Muslim and this will be the “gravedigger of nations, family and the
Christian way of life”. His government has repeatedly broke lines with its European
partners when dealing with the refugee crisis and is overall very cautious towards
immigration from outside of Europe.
Yet, the only EU countries that saw a healthy
population growth during the previous decade, were countries that accepted
immigrants both from within and outside the EU. Ireland, Sweden and Malta, are
among those.
The opposite trend is observed in central and eastern
Europe, where Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia and Lithuania are experiencing rapid
population decline, due not to only falling birth rates, but just like in the
case of Greece, emigration.
Since it joined the EU, Latvia-a tiny Baltic nation, lost
about 18.2% of its population, to shrink to just below 2 million people. The
main problem it is facing, is the emigration of its youth, in order to find
jobs and get higher wages in countries like the UK, Ireland and Germany.
If this trend continues, Latvia will sadly live by its
reputation, as Europe’s “disappearing nation.” But this problem is not only confined
in this country. The EU’s expansion to the east, exposed the continent’s huge
income inequalities and opportunities for employment and growth, with a gaping East-West
divide.
It is only natural that young people would seek to get
higher paid jobs in rich western nations, however this reality should not become
permanent. Both the governments of the new members and the EU itself should address
the issue and encourage harmonization or salaries and living standards, in
order to encourage the emigres, return home and of course prevent the perpetuating
of the issue.
Another factor is that the new EU states, are
reluctant to allow or unable to attract a great number of non-EU immigrants. Nevertheless,
if we accept that immigration into Europe could work when tackling our
continent’s demographic problem, it itself brings some certain challenges. We
are currently experiencing a sharp rise of xenophobia and populism, fronted by
right-wing political parties that seem to gain ground everywhere in Europe.
If we only chose to balance the falling numbers of our
population with immigrants, we risk making this problem worse and in addition,
risking the very existence of the EU, our open borders and the rights of both
native and foreign-born population.
It would be unwise continuing in this course, unless
we are able to tackle populism and the far-right first, but that will require getting
our economies in order. And that is because, it is essential when dealing with
such issues, to have a healthy, stable economy. When people are happy with
their living standards, it is harder for populists to find fertile ground for
their propaganda.
Plus, to conduct reforms, you need good finances. We
will have to look at Sweden, a country that to a certain extent, has successfully
dealt with this issue. The Scandinavian nation has managed thanks to its
economy, to support a different approach to its demographic problem.
With a greatly subsidized, always-available day-care, generous
parental leave shared by both parents it is among the EU nations with a
population growth, with immigration playing additionally some part.
Sweden’s
success though requires not just robust finances, but also a radical review in
gender roles, societal mentality towards childcare and family and a willingness
of employers to accommodate such reforms in employment.
To
conclude, it is evident that Europe needs to tackle its demographic problem. If
it doesn’t, its economy, stability and influence in the globe will suffer, and
it will deprive itself of its current status of one of the most affluent
regions on earth.
Young
generations are the best investment in order to secure a more prosperous future,
despite the fact the human global population should ideally shrink. We have surpassed
the 7 billion earth human inhabitants mark, so a global population decline is
not something that we should fear, but welcome.
However,
we will have to manage better this new reality, if we wish to avoid a population
collapse in Europe, with all the societal and economic consequences. We have achieved
to live in a prosperous continent, with a consumerist and individualistic
lifestyle, fueled by capitalism and a market-based economy.
That
is not a bad thing, if we are able to balance better our work-family lives and
set our priorities right. Thus, the solution to Europe’s demographic problem, does
not lie in one panacea, rather a collective response by all governments, a
pan-European cooperation and coordination.
Together
with altering our family role-models or our work conditions like Sweden, we
will have to help young couples and encourage them, should they wish to start a
family by all means possible.
Either
it is tax relief like in Hungary, or a child bonus in Greece, combined with inward
immigration and harmonization of wages and living standards across the EU, we
can avoid depopulation of some of its regions. Resulting consequently, in a healthier
and sustainable European population and ultimately economy and future.
