It is known that the Demographic is a burning existential issue for Greece. In fact, there are not a few who treat it as a bomb in the foundations of the country, as researches that see the light of day predict a dramatic decrease in its population in the coming decades, which is also reflected in the last census of 2021.
Yesterday’s findings are also characteristic Metron Analysiswhere it records the Demographic as of 4th biggest threat to the Greeks.
The measurement was presented at the conference “Demographic 2024 – National Priority”in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which took place on Thursday 23 May at the Acropolis Museum under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family and sponsored by Eurobank.
Marriage and starting a family are at the bottom of young people’s priorities. Of the total of 800 respondents, 51% do not have children, with the majority having 1 child, while the thoughts of having a child come from the age of 29 onwards.
Only 4 out of 10 consider having a child quite likely in the future, while the reasons that prevent having a child are mostly financial.
Michalis Vlastarakis: Starting a family is low on the priorities of Greeks
In this context, the contribution of the private sector and banks to such a leading issue as Demographics, is considered vital.
Thus, on the occasion of Thursday’s conference, the General Director of Marketing and Corporate Communication of Eurobank Group Michalis Vlastarakis on the morning of Friday 24/5 he gave a radio interview to SKY 100.3 and to Ari Portosalte on the subject of Eurobank’s initiatives to address this great challenge for our country.
Following the findings of Metron Analysis for the Demographic, Mr. Vlastarakis pointed out that creating a family is not among the priorities of Greek citizens.
“High on the priorities are for me to be financially comfortable, to have friends and a social life, to be able to have a good time, to succeed professionally in career matters, that is, to have a good partner. As you understand, in addition to the financial issues that act as a deterrent, it is also a matter of culture. Some others are concerned about the quality of the world they will bring their child to, that’s why they hesitate. This is how the value system works in the western world now”, he underlined.
“The most positive thing is that all Greeks, when we ask them how many children they would like to have, generally answer more than two on average. This, if you like, is a positive message for the future that things can possibly be reversed under certain circumstances,” he added.
Asked about what the bank is willing to do to change the current scenario, Mr. Vlastarakis initially referred to financing through a of study by the IOBE that came up with specific policy proposals to resolve the Demographics.
“But what is most essential for people are actions Corporate Social Responsibility which we have been doing for three years. And we start with the people who want to give birth to a child, but cannot for medical reasons. There, through our partnership with non-profit association Be-Live we finance in vitro fertilization actions”, he emphasized, adding:
“We move to all the eastern borders of the country, from the unspoiled Evros to Kastellorizo. This is the area where we have been doing a number of corporate social responsibility actions for the last three years, at framework of the Program Forward for the Family.
Finally, he spoke so much about her cooperation of Eurobank with Together for the Childwhich has led to thousands of communications with the 115 25 line, as well as for the products offered by the Bank, with social targeting, for young parents in the Program areas.
Especially for them three-child and multi-child families in Eastern Greecethe Bank has one new mortgage loan, for the purchase, construction, repair/renovation of a first home, as announced on Thursday by the CEO of the bank, Fokion Karavia.
Thus, they are provided fixed rate 1.00% for throughout the duration of the loanwith duration up to 40 yearsand financing up to 90% of the commercial value of the property for borrowers who have not already obtained a mortgage.
The financing concerns the purchase, construction, repair/renovation of a First / Main Residence for families with at least 3 children, permanent residents in the Regional Units (PE) of the Program, namely: Evros, Limnos, Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria, Kalymnos, Kos, Karpathos, Rhodes and even Kastelorizo.
In cases of construction and repair/renovation, financing can reach up to 100% of the cost of the work. Beneficiaries will also benefit from free technical and legal audit / loan approval costs.
What “Forward for the Family” has achieved so far
In June 2024, Eurobank completes 3 years of action to deal with Demographics. The Census initiative was presented on June 3, 2021, in front of the President of the Republic and its main goal was to bring the issue higher on the agenda of the public dialogue.
As part of the Program, the Bank implements a set of actions to support the future and new family, and to date, the following have been achieved, among others: 36 new lives with IVF, 75 new jobs in Evros and the NE Aegean, 3 educators on uninhabited islands, 823 baby packs with essentials for a baby’s 1st year, advisory support in more than 5,000 parents.
Below you can listen to the interview of Mr. Michalis Vlastarakis on the show of Mr. Aris Portosalte on SKAI radio
More about the new mortgage here.
More about the Family Forward Program here.
Watch the Eurobank themed video below | Small islands – Big dreams in Agios Efstratios.
Source: Skai
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