Una politica di coesione forte sarà fondamentale per affrontare le sfide demografiche e le relative disparità territoriali

Local and regional leaders call for the integration of the demographic dimension across all policies funded by the EU.

In an opinion led by János Ádám KARÁCSONY, vice-president of the County Council of Pest Megye, and adopted at the 9 October plenary session of the European Committee of the regions, local leaders call for coordinated EU policies and targeted funding to address demographic trends that are threatening regional competitiveness and growth.

Ageing populations, declining fertility and birth rates, brain drain, and urban-rural disparities, are among the demographic challenges impacting Europe’s competitive edge. As the demographic trends differ across Member States and regions – affecting mostly less developed and rural regions – it is necessary to develop policies that are grounded in the local realities. 

The CoR welcomes the European Commission’s communication on ‘Demographic change in Europe: a toolbox for action’. However, regions and cities urge for more coordinated regional policies to foster growth and job creation, to support families in all their diversity and to improve work-life balance across all generations. 

Public policies should, for instance, eliminate barriers to starting families, improve access to childcare, and foster gender equality. Increasing women’s labour market participation and providing early economic stability for young people are key strategies to counteract the negative effects of demographic change. Additionally, local and regional representatives support EU initiatives such as the talent booster mechanism and the Harnessing Talent Platform, to help attract and retain people with specialised skills in regions at risk of talent shortages. 

Cohesion policy funding tools and resources should be mobilised and made available more effectively to address regional disparities caused by demographic shifts such as talent loss and depopulation, while cohesion implementation rules must be fine-tuned to better reflect national specificities. Finally, local and regional leaders call for the demographic dimension to be integrated into both the current and future multiannual financial frameworks (MFF). 

Quote

Rapporteur János Ádám Karácsony (HU/ECR), vice-president of the County Council of Pest Megye: “Our priority is our citizens. We should therefore confront the demographic challenges in our regions and Member States with realism and family-friendly policies. At the EU level, we must also ensure that adequate support and opportunities are provided to meet the needs of parents, offering incentives to those who are committed to raising children.”

Background

• On 11 October 2023 and in response to the European Council’s conclusions for a toolbox to address the demographic challenges and notably their impact on Europe’s competitive edge, the European Commission released its communication on ‘Demographic change in Europe: a toolbox for action’.
• In its priorities, the Hungarian presidency insists on the need to draw attention on demographic challenges as part of a high-level strategic debate on the future of cohesion policy.
• The annual report on the state of regions and cities in the EU 2024 highlights that demographic challenges in the EU are increasingly impacting regional competitiveness and growth. Many regions are caught in a "talent development trap," lacking skilled workers, hampering regional competitiveness and growth. The EU must treat demographic transition with the same priority as green and digital transitions, integrating it into all policy areas. Strategies such as the EU's Demography toolbox implemented locally, targeted humane and fair migration policies and procedures, and leading demographic-transition policies to retain young, skilled individuals and ensure a sustainable future are essential. The report states that the CoR should facilitate best practice exchanges on demographic change and support innovative migrant integration solutions.
• Long-term vision for rural area
• Green paper on ageing
•  Active and healthy ageing (CoR opinion 2019) 
• Brain Drain in the EU: addressing the challenge at all levels (CoR opinion 2020)
• Demographic change: proposals on measuring and tackling its negative effects in the EU regions (CoR opinion 2020)
• A renewed cohesion policy post 2027 that leaves no one behind (CoR opinion for adoption in Plenary in November 2024)
•  The future of the single market and the EU’s competitiveness (CoR opinion for adoption in the Plenary in November 2024)
• How to exploit the full potential of cohesion policy to tackle demographic change (CoR opinion for adoption in the Plenary in November 2024)