The book on family-friendly municipalities in Greece has been published by ASPE, the Greek association of large families. ELFAC president Regina Maroncelli talked about demographic challenges and solutions to tackle depopulation and the brain drain.
The conference organised by the ASPE took place last May 27 under the title” Planning & Implementation Municipal Support Measures for Families with Children (European policy, support measures, good practices)” .
During the event, which was attended among others by the president of the Hellenic Municipalities Association and the Minister of the Interior, ASPE presented the book on the good practices of family friendly municipalities in Greece, five of which are part of the European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities.
ELFAC’s president Regina Maroncelli talked about ‘Shaping a European policy for supporting families with children'”, during which she explained how difficult is to talk about “families” at the UE level.
Family policies are not of the Commission’s concern and in fact, in the 20 social pillars of the Union, it does not appear even once. Also when the demographic challenges are taken into consideration, it is mainly from the perspective of an ageing population. Yet, data and graphs in hand, Europe’s demographic winter that is so harshly affecting Spain, Italy and Portugal is linked to falling birth rates and the displacement of entire populations from ‘depressed’ areas to more socially and economically attractive ones: Northern Europe, Germany, the South of France and Switzerland, with only Trentino standing out in Italy.
This is no coincidence, but the result of ‘family-friendly’ policies that work, family policies that the European Network of family friendly municipalities is spreading in the attempt to provide local territories with a solution to depopulation , migration, loneliness. Today the Network counts ca. 130 municipalities from 9 European countries.
In october, (5-6) a study visit in Trento will introduce municipalities to Trentino’s best practices, while in November, on the 19Th, there will take place in Bruxelles the Network’s Congress.
