By adopting the new Green Paper on demography in Europe on 16 March, the European Commission in Brussels especially intends to emphasise the ageing of the population and launch “a public debate on its foreseeable implications”. The factors that generate according to the experts in Brussels the phenomenon of the rise in the average age of the population of Europe include: “the declining birth-rate”, the simultaneous “increase in life expectancy” and the ageing of the generation of the baby boom” (1960s). The most immediate consequences of the process underway are already impacting family life, public life, beginning with models of welfare, patterns of consumption and relations with the immigrant communities in the various member states. Further consequences can be presumed for the future. According to the figures furnished by the Green Paper, “the total population of the Union will increase very little for the next 20 years and then will begin to fall. Europeans will grow from 458 million in 2005 to 469.5 million in 2025 (+ 2%), but then decline to 468.7 million in 2030”. The Green Paper points out that “a period of economic growth without a parallel increase of population which, in turn, generates investments and consumption, has never been registered in the history of the European Community”. ———————————————————————————————————– Sir Europa (English) N.ro assoluto : 1373 N.ro relativo : 22 Data pubblicazione : 23/03/2005
