EPP calls demography a key strategic issue for Europe

The European People’s Party (EPP) adopted a declaration at a leaders’ retreat in Zagreb on Friday, calling demography a central strategic issue for Europe and urging action to reverse negative population trends.

The declaration warns that a shrinking Europe would be weaker and less able to protect its citizens, economy and values in an increasingly competitive and unstable world. If current trends continue, the EU’s share of the global population could fall to around four percent by 2070, down from nearly a quarter at the start of the 20th century.

The EU is facing an ageing population, depopulation and persistently low birth rates. Fertility rates in all member states have dropped well below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, averaging about 1.38.

These trends are placing growing pressure on pension systems, labor markets and healthcare systems, while increasing Europe’s reliance on workers from third countries to offset short-term declines in the working-age population.

“Demography is not a peripheral issue, but a central strategic challenge that requires a coordinated European Union response,” the EPP said.

The party argues that the EU must invest both in younger generations and in building a “longevity society”—not simply by extending working lives, but by enabling healthier, more educated and more productive lives at all ages.

Beyond financial incentives, the declaration highlights affordable childcare, adequate housing, full-time schooling, work-life balance and a social climate that values parenthood as key policy priorities.

The document notes that demography was first recognized as a strategic challenge at Croatia’s initiative and became part of a dedicated European Commission portfolio in 2019, led by Commissioner Dubravka Šuica.

The EPP concludes that demographic renewal must become a strategic imperative for the EU, on par with competitiveness, security, and energy and technological sovereignty, and calls for the creation of a comprehensive European demographic strategy.