“The demographic must lose its national priority, which will inevitably serve many successive governments with a specific strategy. The demographic is a bomb in the foundations of the nation” said the President of PASOK-Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, at the conference on “The demographic problem and the aging of the population in Greece”, organized by the University of Piraeus. He added that the demographic problem cannot be approached “as a statistical concern, but as an aspect of social life with devastating effects.”

Citing her evidence ELSTAT, Mr. Androulakis pointed out that the country will age and the human resources that will be able to support its development “with all that this implies for the resilience of the economy and society” will diminish. “We must note that Greece is one of the most vulnerable economies and societies in Europe, as in all international crises their internal effects are multiple compared to other European states”, he observed.

Mr. Androulakis emphasized that the bleak demographic reality is not only a product of the ten-year economic crisis but had started since the 1980s and apparently the flight of hundreds of thousands of young people abroad burdened the situation.

According to the president of PASOK-KINAL “the state has a very important role to play: to reverse this grim reality”. “We need a comprehensive policy approach that will make it easier for young people to start their families,” he added, giving as an example housing costs.

“At the moment the majority of those who rent their home have to give more than half of their income to housing costs. This is not sustainable. Already from the TIF I noted that with the escalation of housing costs, it is unthinkable that the government does not suspend or abolish the golden visa measure”, he repeated and emphasized: “For us it is a priority to put restrictions on short-term rental to the standards of other large European cities and the abolition of the golden visa. They already implemented it Portugal, Ireland and Spain are discussing the measure. Now the golden visa works at the expense of the weakest Greeks”.

Nikos Androulakis underlined that tax justice is necessary to create fiscal space to reduce tax rates for families with children, as is the case in several EU countries.

“For us, a strong social state also means high-quality services. There must be universal access to daycare centers,” he said and added that benefits need a radical review and modernization.

The president of PASOK-KINAL proposed stronger support from the first child, in order to horizontally strengthen childbearing as well as:

– Grant of a monthly allowance of 200 euros for each new child (and up to the age of 3) for childless couples and couples with 1 child, who have an annual net family income of up to 20,000 euros.

– Establishment of a National “Savings Account” for each child with the participation of both the parent and the State. The family contribution will be deducted from the corresponding income tax.

– Those with three children should acquire the rights of those with many children, without affecting the rights of those who currently have many children.

– To make motherhood more compatible with work, so that it does not become an obstacle to a woman’s professional career.