Regina Maroncelli, President of Elfac met the vice president of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, Dubravka Šuica, in Brussels on 1 March. With her was Luciano Malfer, director of the Trentino Agency for Social Cohesion and Family.
During the friendly meeting, Regina Maroncelli presented to the Deputy Commissioner the situation of large families in Europe, which today account for 12% of households with children which make up 28% of European families.
“Almost 1/3 of children under 18 live in a large family- underlined Ms.Maroncelli, talking about the many difficulties encountered by families with 3 and more children. In many Countries such families are penalised in terms of tax and tariffs, struggling to find affordable housing situations, often affected by a real social stigma, despite their demographic, social and economic value.
Luciano Malfer, director of the Social Cohesion and Family Agency of Trentino (Italy) Autonomous Province of Trento, spoke about the Networks of family friendly municipalities and the positive effects on the quality of life, the birth rate and Trentino’s economy. Italian Network and European Network are now. Deputy Commissioner Šuica expressed her interest in the project, which could be a response to the demographic imbalances that are occurring in Europe, with areas and countries such as Croatia losing inhabitants due to emigration and denatality, while other countries such as Denmark are predicting disproportionate growth in the short term, with consequent problems in adapting housing and services. “Demography,’ said the Deputy Commissioner ‘poses important questions about the resilience of democracy and the economic and social resilience of local territories”. Supporting families in their desire to live can restore the future of Old Europe.
