The Greek Association attended the 5th meeting of the Erasmus Project of organized civil societies titled “Demographic Challenges for Europe and issues involved”
Source: liberal.gr
Deputy Minister of Labor, Konstantinos Karagounis, addressed the Economic and Social Committee of Greece (OKE), representing the Minister, Niki Kerameus, at a conference on the topic of “Demographic Challenges for the European Union and related issues”.
As noted in a relevant announcement, the event was attended by representatives of Economic and Social Councils from many European Union member states, including the President of the EESC, Oliver Ropke, and the President of the Greek ESC, Yiannis Paidas.
In his greeting, the Deputy Minister conveyed the warm greetings of the Minister of Labor and spoke about the close cooperation that exists with the Council and especially with the President regarding the promotion of social dialogue on labor issues, as well as about the great challenge facing Europe regarding demographics and its impact on the economy, with the labor market, social security and healthcare services being at the forefront.
As he said, “states are rolling out policies to strengthen the workforce and taking initiatives to attract labor from third countries.
The Ministry of Labor has recognized this challenge and is implementing a National Demographic Action Plan, with an implementation horizon of 2025-2035.
The plan is based on five main axes:
- birth support and family support, through benefits, tax incentives, etc.,
- supporting employment and motivating family creation with initiatives for a balance between professional and personal life,
- longevity and aging management, through programs that promote healthy and active aging,
- local development and promotion of innovation, leveraging the comparative advantage of each Region,
- information, awareness and strengthening of research, strategic planning, through a nationwide campaign.
At the same time, initiatives are being undertaken to mobilize private resources, increase tax-free allowances for families with children, abolish tax for first-degree relatives on parental inheritance, increase the family allowance in the public sector, new positions in existing daycare centers, strengthen the “Neighborhood Nannies” program, promote the TEKA, i.e. the funded supplementary pension, reform the Occupational Insurance Funds, strengthen employment programs for the unemployed by the Public Employment Service (DYPA), remove disincentives for pensioners to work, etc.
Finally, Mr. Karagounis referred to the new data being created in the labor market, through the increased use of technology, automation, robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
In closing, the Deputy Minister of Labor stressed that the European Union must intensify its actions in order to assist the work of each member state in supporting the family, but also in the necessary strengthening of the workforce. The budgetary capabilities of each state individually are finite and, for this reason, Mr. Karagounis underlined that more needs to be done, faster and more effectively.