Euro-Fam News - 03 May 07

European contract againt demographic winter

During the fourth world congress for the family (Warsaw, May, 11th to 13th), Stéphane Buffetaut will expose the opinions of his report dedicated to "the family and the demographic trends". (http://www.worldcongress.pl)

Facing a totally new event combining a dramatically ageing population and a fall of the birth rate which may leave Europe out of the roads of History, the author of this report, a member of the European Social and Economic Committee, suggests a true European commitment issued by member States in favour of the development of the family. That would be a massive but wealthy commitment.

"The growth rate of the GDP of the European Union could automatically decrease because of the ageing population and reach 2.4% during the 2004-2010 period but only 1.2% between 2030 and 2050. That would mean the burrial of the ambition and of the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy". Ordered by the current German presidency of the European Union, Stéphane Buffetaut's report is not having unnecessary delicate precautions. However, it is a solid and well informed report which was adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee (unanimity minus one abstention) two weeks ago.

On the one hand, this report shares the worried estimations of the European Commission: " the ageing population could lead, if no reaction is launched, to significant increases of public expenditures and of public deficits that would fuel an unbearable and dramatic burden of public debts". On the other hand, Stéphane Buffetaut suggests a much more voluntary reaction than the approach run by the European Commission which is compelled to remain quite "vague or general since the mandate in this field belongs to the States or to local authorities".

According to this member of the European Social and Economic Committee, it is indeed urgent that the European Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the European Commission "support within the frame of the subsidiarity principle the signature of a European contract for the family among member states". Such contracting parties would commit themselves to:

1) "develop policies meeting the needs of the population in terms of the number of desired children" by granting adequate social and schooling systems.

2) "establish a minimum level of public expenditures that should be granted to families and to children to avoid that they could be squized by collective costs of the ageing populations because such issues could be seen as essential by ageing voters".

3) "promote a world favourable to families, fathers and children" by taking into consideration new ways of living and of working, since "it is necessary to propose efficient measures in order to avoid a too high pressure on young people old enough to raise children."

4) "have sustainable policies in favour of childhood and of families".

According to Stéphane Buffetaut, it is clear that "a European commitment to face the demographic deficit is highly necessary." The more and more worrying statistics are the occasion to display former analyses that haven't got old such as the one explained by the Article 16 of the UN Universal declaration of human rights which states :" the family is the natural and fundamemtal pillar of the society: It desserves the protection of the state and of the society".

Among states that face a combination of a persisting unemployment and a fall of the birth rate, the development of the promotion of the family looks like common sense: the family is indeed "a room for an affective, economic and social solidarity which enables many people to better react to the risks of the economic uncertainty". Besides, as a major room for education, the family is the first place to train the future workers. It is therefore an asset for the development of the competitiveness and for the start ups. It is then a stimulating agent of the economy, a sparing centre and a school for sustainable development: it is, among other objectives, in order to "transmit to their children an acceptable environment that parents will commit themselves to avoid pollutions of all origins".

It is probably in that respect that Alfred Sauvy was explaining that "children are assets of our societies".

And according to Stéphane Buffetaut, "it is also necessary to promote strong measures to encourage the involvement of fathers in the family life".