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Green Paper "Confronting demographic change: a new solidarity between the generations"
The EU is facing unprecedented demographic changes that will have a major impact across society and the economy. People are living longer and in better health. Fertility rates have dropped to 1.5 children per woman, and in 2030 Europe will have 18 million children and young people fewer than today (*). By then, the number of "older workers"(aged 55 to 64) will have risen by 24 million and the EU will have 34.7 million citizens aged over 80 (compared to 18.8 million today).
How can we meet these challenges? How could we reverse the decline in our population? How could we cope with the impact of an ageing population, while providing opportunities to the youngest in our society? These are but a few questions raised in the Commission’s Green Paper, aimed at launching a debate amongst all relevant stakeholders and everyone in society.
*Eurostat’s baseline scenario, used for population forecasting, provisional results – December 2004.
 | Press Release IP/05/322 :    |
| Communication from the Commission Green Paper "Faced with demographic change, a new solidarity between the generations" COM(2005) 94 :
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To obtain more information :
Green Paper on Demographic Change
DG EMPL/E/1
J-27 01/122
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels |
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