Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis outlined his government’s actions to address Greece’s demographic problem dubbing it an absolute priority, speaking at the “Demographics 2024 – National Priority” conference.
The Greek Premier noted that the conservative government had implemented 60 specific policies to support families and bolster the participation of the elderly in the labor market.
Mitsotakis described the demographic issue as both a social and national problem, maintaining that his government opted to address it in a holistic manner by implementing a series of measures. The Greek PM, however, added that the results of these efforts would only become visible over time.
The Greek Premier made reference to a series of 60 policies developed to promote equality and support families, stressing that demographic trends are influenced not only by birth rates but also by the negative balance of deaths to births.
“Our country is emerging from a crisis, and the generations now having children experienced this crisis in its full intensity. Our initial steps have been to alleviate the economic burden, as demonstrated by the increased childbirth allowance, more targeted welfare policies, tax incentives, and housing programs,” Mitsotakis explained.
He acknowledged the challenge in persuading people to have children and suggested that tax incentives should be provided to businesses that support children and families.
In 2022, Greece had among the lowest fertility rates in the EU with 1.32 births per woman, according to Eurostat.
France had the highest total fertility in the EU (1.79 live births per woman), followed by Romania (1.71), Bulgaria (1.65), and Czechia (1.64).
