Demographic Change – New Challenge for European Policies on Social Cohesion Programs.docVIP

?CONOMICA DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE – NEW CHALLENGE FOR EUROPEAN POLICIES ON SOCIAL COHESION PROGRAMS Associate professor, Doinita Ariton Dunarea de Jos University from Galati Abstract: Demographic changes create a new society, and these changes are set to speed up from 2010 onwards: ever fewer young people and young adults, ever older workers, pensioners and very elderly people. Our societies will have to invent new ways of liberating the potential of young people and older citizens. Dealing with these changes will require the contribution of all those involved: new forms of solidarity must be developed between the generations, based on mutual support and the transfer of skills and experience. Keywords: human resources policy, demographic change, pension reforms Jel Classification: N10 - General, International, or Comparative In November 1998, Christian Marchal presented a project pertaining to the 1 ages’ pyramid in the fifteen countries of the European Union and explained: ‘‘since 1965 the annual number of births is almost constantly decreasing, it has already fallen by more than one third. Because of the increase of life expectancy the total population is still very slowly increasing but while the number of old people is rapidly increasing the number of young people is rapidly decreasing”. The problem of change of structure of population concerning the “age of pyramid” of was signalled as a contemporary reality, but “it will pose a major challenge for global prosperity and stability during the first half of the twenty-first century” . 2 In 2003, the European Employment Guidelines and the Employment taskforce report suggested adoption of “comprehensive active ageing policy centered on the 1 World Demographic Braking, Christian Marchal.htm, Christian Marchal, Chairman