” “A shared commitment to “pursue a common strategy in family policies and children’s rights as part of the activities of the Council of Europe”: it was unanimously endorsed by the European Ministers in charge of family policies of the 46 member states of the CoE, as they closed the conference on “Changes in the parental role. Children today, parents tomorrow”, held in Lisbon on May 16th and 17th. The ministers’ political statement says that measures are needed in support of the “sustainability of the family to respond to the current demographic trends”; there’s the need to promote employment to provide secure income as one of the key factors to build families open to children. Interesting was the emphasis that “the parental role related to family intimacy should be covered by public policies”. Other comments focus on the need to balance work and family life, the promotion of education and a point of the statement that will raise controversy the adjustment of the national legislations “to the consequences of the spreading of new types of families, such as single parents or the duties of remarried parents towards their children”.
