The continuous decline in the number of people of working age in Europe will put increasing pressure on the social system and public finances in EU member states, according to a report by the Bruegel think tank, which will be at the center of debates on the topic tomorrow and Saturday in Budapest , reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The report was prepared for representatives of the financial departments and central banks of the member countries, who gather in the Hungarian capital. It points out that Europe's aging population is reducing the number of people working and paying taxes, and increasing the number of pensioners and those in need of healthcare.
Even if immigration to the EU were to continue at its current rate, which is unacceptable to many Europeans, as evidenced by growing support for far-right parties, it would not be able to compensate for the decline in the working age population, the report said.
Hungary, which will host the discussion, is staunchly opposed to increasing immigration into the EU and is expected to offer other remedies to the demographic crisis, such as raising the birth rate by supporting young families and strengthening the labor market.
p>
According to "Brueghel" in the absence of net migration, the number of people aged 20 to 64 in Europe would fall by around a fifth to 207 million by 2050, down from 264 million in 2022.
If the EU of 450 million takes in a little more than a million migrants a year, as they did on average in the period 2016-2020, it will only slow the decline in the working age population by half, the think tank says.
In the report, as possible solutions to the demographic crisis, the better management of health care, as well as the reform of the pension and health system, are indicated.
According to a European Commission report, in 2070 in the EU, for every 10 inactive people over 65, there will be 14 working people compared to 22 in 2022.