In cooperation with our Spanish member Foro de la Familia, FAFCE organised an online event on 3 December 2020 to discuss the EU Recovery plan and its investment in the family. The Webinar was hosted by Member of the European Parliament Margarita De La Pisa Carrión, who recalled that “The family is a provider of psychological stability, of care and of education.” “With the family comes great wealth: we learn resilience and a spirit of sacrifice. If everyone realizes this, there would be more recognition for the family.”

Last month, FAFCE highlighted how “family policies should not be considered as a cost but rather as an investment in the formation of human capital for the future of Europe”. The NextGenerationEU, an EU instrument of 750 billion euros that will finance the post-pandemic recovery, is an opportunity for a structural change. FAFCE President, Vincenzo Bassi, stressed that “without families and family associations there is no future for Europe and its institutions. If demographic winter is a problem for Europe, the solution is the children and families”.

Professor Marek Kosny, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Finance Wroclaw University, supported this idea with an economic analysis of the population ageing of Europe: “in the upcomimg 80 years, Europe would lose 16% of its population. Its part in the world population would drop to 6%”. “If we do not have enough children, we will face the following issues: a shortage of employees; a risk of a real estate market collapse in absence of young people; an instability of the pension system, etc.” “We need new instruments to build a system which would make raising children profitable for both parents and the state.”

Ignacio Garcia, President of Foro de la Familia, concluded the exchange with a family association perspective: „Families are feeling lonely, left by everyone. In that situation, family associations are helping in creating communities where families are the protagonist.”