MEP Corina Kretsu (for Romania) said on Monday that data provided by the European Commission and the National Institute of Statistics show that Romania will be among the countries most affected by the demographic decline for the pension system and health care. system, losing a million inhabitants every 10 years.

“Data provided by the European Commission show that Romania will be among the countries that will experience the strongest demographic decline in the pension system and the health care system – in a situation where Romania loses a million inhabitants every 10 years. This population decline is the result of a combination of factors, including migration and the ratio of births and deaths. A shrinking working-age population increases the pressure on the workforce, directly affecting the economy. The number of taxpayers is decreasing and the accelerated process of population aging increases the demands on the pension system – with serious consequences for its financial sustainability,” said Corina Kretsu in a Facebook post.

The European parliamentarian also referred to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics, which reveal an alarming demographic situation in Romania, in the sense that the number of people who died in December 2023 is almost twice the number of newborns.

“According to the INS, in the last month of 2023, 11,431 children were born, and the number of deaths was 21,917. At the same time, Romania reached a new negative birth rate record – 73,000 children were born in the first quarter of 2023, which is the lowest rate in 145 years,” said Corina Kretsu.

The MEP also showed that, in addition to the alarming demographic situation, more than half of the children in Romania want to emigrate and about a third intend to continue their education abroad to take advantage of better opportunities and living conditions and that it is necessary to adopt long-term policies and investments to enable them stay in the country.

“It is crucial to ensure a decent standard of living for all, especially for the youth, to allow them to use their potential and turn the trend of emigration into a return and an active contribution to the development of Romania. Otherwise, there is a risk of losing valuable resources and negative consequences in the long term”, – also stressed the member of the European Parliament Corina Kretsu.