How will the welfare state contribute to the development of the country? This was the central question that occupied the discussion on the corresponding panel of his conference. Circle of ideas.

Chairman of the EU Network and the Committee of Experts on the Welfare State, Anna Diamantopoulouemphasized that no welfare policy could continue in the long run as a basic social policy as contemporary issues arise that define what the welfare state is today.

The factor, Ms. Diamantopoulou said, that makes us look again at what the welfare state is today is Digitization with implications for work, increasing demographics and the need for green development.

According to Ms. Diamantopoulou, Greece cannot continue to provide benefits horizontally, because in the end they come at the expense of the weak. Thus, targeted income support and skills development are needed to increase productive potential, and future policies should target children under 18 years of age.

He also noted that in Europe we are now almost all with the same social problems and all recognize the need for a common European policy.

Professor of MedicineChristos Dervenis, stated that the welfare state had expanded significantly since the 1980s, and cutbacks in memorandum spending disproved the data that had been created. Particularly in the area of ​​health care, he stressed that it is necessary to change the way of financing in order to transform state social benefits from a fiscal instrument into a development one.

He pointed to the gradually worsening problem of demography. Thodoris Georgakopoulos, director of research at diaNEOsis, explaining that this is directly related to economic development and, of course, the welfare state. He proposed to develop a policy that would help young and old people and especially women, where Greece is lagging behind in this area.

Professor of Economics at the Politecnico di Milano, Manos Matsanganis, emphasized that the Welfare State and the Economy are both enemies and allies. And, as he used to say, the point is to stop being enemies.

He noted that a strong welfare state contributes to the development of the economy, as it offers qualified human resources.

“A well-designed benefit system is a growth factor,” says Mr. Matsanganis. He suggested investing in, for example, kindergartensshowing how they work 13% a time when bonds never returned more than 5%, and the development of young people’s skills.

Professor of Insurance Miltiadis Nectariosstated that in the Western world, investment in intellectual capital, in education, has contributed to significant growth for decades.

The professor spoke about the unequal social status Plato Tinios, saying that it should become modern and balanced. Especially for the pension system, which is burdened in the long term by an aging population, he said that it is necessary to increase the participation of youth and women in the labor market.