The demographic issue is one of those matters that cannot be contained only in numbers and statistics. It is an issue that we must be able to address patriotically.
The above was stated, among other things, by the Governor of Attica Nikos Hardalias speaking at the conference on the topic “Low Birth Rate & Family: Composing Solutions for the Demographic Problem”, which was held on Monday by the Media2day Group, on the initiative of Iatronet.gr, Euro2day.gr and Mama365.gr, under the auspices of the Region of Attica.
As he stressed, behind every birth indicator, behind every forecast for aging, population decline, there are people. Young people who find it difficult to take the next step in their lives. Couples who postpone starting a family. Parents who struggle daily to combine work, childcare and a decent everyday life.
According to Mr. Hardalias, the demographic issue is perhaps the greatest long-term challenge facing the country today and, in order to address it, planning, continuity, coordination are needed and above all we need to realize that it is an issue of development, employment and housing, it is an issue of education, health and care, it is an issue of quality of life.
He announced that, to date, the Region of Attica has allocated approximately 336 million euros for the granting of vouchers to families. He mentioned that nursery school vouchers are financed by the Region's European resources.
Today, 117,000 vouchers have been granted, corresponding to nearly 132,000 children, who are hosted in 476 public and private facilities, as well as in 90 creative activity centers and KDAP for people with disabilities.
“At the same time, we are investing in new nursery and childcare centers, in new school units and in the upgrading of existing educational infrastructure”, Mr. Hardalias noted.