We got Ukrainian workers/labor force moving into all western countries, Romanian , Bulgarian, Hungarian & Polish as well (the whole list of past-soviet union nations). E.g an experienced Ukrainian welder, is making 300 euros per month in his homeland, while simple warehouse worker in Netherlands, makes 2000. So the reasoning is simple to understand. There's no problems with birth-rates among those people. Nations mix, eventually, 100 - 300 years from now, there will be no such thing left as Japan with only 1% - 3% foreigner population. Retirement age has to go up : (lots of respect) Beside, on average, people live 7 years after retirement, solution - don't retire
In the UK, we pay a state pension to all persons based simply on their age, 66. Slightly sad to say I don't believe British teenagers will get this universal benefit when they're 66.
As far as the article's concerned, I'm not at all convinced this is a major issue. Its very hard to give serious credit to European politicians arguing for their respective national cultures and identities - virtually every country in Europe is a confederation of smaller nations and dukedoms and principalities. Many of them have multiple officially recognised languages. Many have multiple thriving regional dialects. Many regions within the same country have radically different customs, beliefs, attitudes, cuisine, even religions. Many of the current European states were politically created entities with less than 200 year histories.
Demographic doom? The way things are going, with a large number of immigrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia move into Europe every year, there is no doom.
Probably will, but it wouldn't have to if we could do a better job of adapting to new realities. In fact the ideal is to lower the age of retirement a bit. we should want tecnology and automation to relive us of druggery and mind numbing repetitive tasks. We would then have more time for the arts, humanities and contemplation from which insight comes. None of these pursuits now get the attention they need if mankind is to advance as far as possible..
The 'solution' the European politicians have come up to counter the falling birth rate is mass immigration which actually creates more problems than it solves because: * the immigrants don't really care about their new country so they are less inclined to pay taxes and follow the local laws and customs creating animosity in the society and a lack of trust and solidarity * they will take what they can but leave nothing in return and very easily will move to another country offering a better deal or move the cash they make back to their old country while retaining all the social benefits of the new country, simply put: they will retire to their old country while draining the new country The falling birth rate has never been a problem in the first place. The tragedy the European mass immigration has caused is monumental and disastrous and it is entirely made by the politicians.