Italy over 65. Demographic effects on businesses and families at the Cnpr forum

Borrelli (AVS): “40 million fewer Europeans in the next 30 years”. Longoni: “Almost 1 million young people leave for work and do not return”

NAPLES – “In the next 30 years we will have a further reduction in the number of inhabitants in our country and in the future we should welcome around 250 thousand foreigners a year to make essential services work. The decline in birth rates does not only affect Italy but the whole of Europe which will have around 40 million fewer residents. Faced with the vastness of this phenomenon, it is precisely the services and assistance to the weakest, the elderly, families with disabled people and the chronically ill that are at risk. In such a context, increasingly selfish and short-sighted, it is really difficult to return to acceptable birth rates with the paradox that we persist in refusing to dialogue with countries like India and African nations which, on the contrary, maintain ever higher levels of birth rate”. She declared it Francesco Emilio Borrellideputy of the Alleanza Verdi Sinistra in the Finance Committee at Montecitorio, during the Cnpr forum ‘Italy over 65: economic and social impacts of demographic trends on the well-being of families and businesses‘ promoted by the Accountants and Accounting Experts’ Pension Fund, chaired by Luigi Pagliuca.

“WE ARE WORKING TO DESERTIFY THE SOUTH”

“There are enormous responsibilities in the vision of the current government which thinks that Italians do not want to have children. They are working to desertify the South, they are reducing resources for the poorest classes, they are investing more in wars than in welfare. This government does not invest in quality of life and spends European funds badly. We need to go back to investing in the South, building nursery schools and encouraging integration.”

“16 BILLION FROM THE GOVERNMENT FOR FAMILIES IN 2024 ONLY”

On the front of the government majority it intervened Patrizia Marrocco (FI), vice-president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into working conditions in Italy: “The future of a country is measured by its ability to provide answers to the younger generations. For this reason the executive has put in place concrete initiatives, compared to the few resources available, precisely to give an incentive to birth rates. There was an investment of 2.5 billion and benefits for families of over 16 billion for 2024 alone. This is certainly a topic that must be brought to Europe as a great priority. It is also true that the measures must be accompanied by a cultural undermining; we cannot continue to think that the birth of a child could hinder or even block the mother’s future. We need to stop the birth rate with structural resources and we hope that very soon we will be able to make this great investment which concerns the future of our country. Women must not be forced to choose between work and family; women are able to combine working life with family needs. In recent years, no concrete policies have been put in place to help young couples have children, putting the collective future at risk.”

“ENHANCE TERRITORIAL ACTIVITIES AND SUPPORT FOR THE WEAK”

Fears for the stability of the healthcare system have been expressed by Elisa Pirro, senator of the M5s in the Budget Committee at Palazzo Madama: “Our healthcare system, despite the problems it has, has so far guaranteed adequate care for Italians and this is also why many people reach older ages. We are one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the world. We must look at an overall improvement in the health status of our elderly to guarantee them better aging. This can be done by focusing first of all on the prevention of certain pathologies. I am thinking, for example, of type 2 diabetes which requires adequate lifestyles. We must look at the silver economy made up of cultural and tourist activities structured for the elderly; to cohousing with experiences of collective sociality and some strategies to keep them more active from a neurological point of view. This must be accompanied by improvements to our national health service to guarantee the strengthening of local activities and support for the chronically ill. We must then intervene in favor of the family with welfare policies and protection of rights, starting from those to work and decent wages, to stop the birth rate decline”.

“INVESTING IN WORK AND HOME FOR YOUNG COUPLES“

Second Calogero Pisano (We Moderates), secretary of the European Union Policies Commission in the Chamber of Deputies: “In recent decades in Italy there have never been policies in favor of the family and in particular to combat the birth rate. For many young people it is really difficult to be able to count on a stable and well-paid job. Many choose to go abroad. It is necessary to invest in work, home and family to help young couples plan for the future. The Meloni government has implemented important policies in favor of the family and also of female employment. It is unacceptable that a woman in Italy is forced to choose whether to work or start a family. In addition to the incentives, parental leave for both parents has been increased and the number of nursery schools with extended hours has also increased. Italy is aging and we must not rely on immigration to rejuvenate the country. Immigration is a phenomenon that exists and must be governed. It is right that legal immigrants who work and raise a family have the same rights as an Italian family, but precise rules must also be put in place to protect them.”

“STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION”

During the debate, moderated by Anna Maria Belfortethe point of view of professionals was expressed by Easter Borracci, accountant and statutory auditor of the Odcec of Bari: “According to Eurostat data, Italy is the oldest country in the European Union; approximately one in four Italians is over 65 years old. This trend will have serious consequences on our country’s welfare system, primarily on healthcare and care-giving, as well as in the employment sector. Winning strategies are needed to address the demographic transition. We need measures in favor of employment stability that help families to be able to plan a peaceful future to guarantee conscious parenting. We must help women not to be forced to choose between career and family with adequate policies in terms of assistance and equal pay and rights. Reversing the birth rate trend is possible without being forced to rely only on immigration from countries in economic/climate difficulty or from those where bloody war conflicts or civil wars are underway”.

“THE ITALIAN DEMOGRAPHIC WINTER IS QUITE HEAVY”

The conclusions were entrusted to Paolo Longoni, advisor to the National Institute of Accounting Experts: “The Italian demographic winter is quite severe. Italy has lost more than 2 million inhabitants in the last ten years and is set to lose more. It is not only the birth rate that causes the reduction of the population and average aging but the loss of young people. The data we have available tell us that almost 1 million young people have expatriated for work reasons and do not return. Therefore, promoting the conditions so that there is no aging of the population also means looking at the world of work for the younger ones who leave because abroad they earn better money and are in easier conditions”.