The demography toolbox draws on experiences from across the EU and sets out a comprehensive approach to demographic change.

Europe is undergoing a major demographic transformation. Demographic change has a profound impact on everyday life and requires holistic and integrated solutions. Since our citizens are living longer and healthier lives, all our policies need to be forward-looking and support the shift from an ageing to a longevity society.

The June 2023 European Council conclusions called on the Commission to put forward a toolbox to support Member States in addressing demographic challenges and their impact on Europe’s competitive edge.

The demography toolbox, prepared in response by the Commission, draws on experiences from across the EU and sets out a comprehensive approach to demographic change structured around four pillars:         

  support parents by better reconciling family aspirations and paid work, notably by ensuring access to quality childcare and good work-life balance;

  supporting and empowering younger generations to thrive, develop their skills, facilitate their access to the labour market and to affordable housing;

  empowering older generations and sustaining their welfare, through reforms combined with appropriate labour market and workplace policies;

  where necessary, addressing labour shortages through managed legal migration, in full complementarity to harnessing talents from within the EU.

The toolbox recognises the need to take on board the territorial dimension of demographic shifts, specifically in regions that experience the phenomenon of population decline and a significant outward mobility of young workers (‘brain drain’)

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Source: European Commission