Bolzano, 8th of May 2026

Between the 5th and the 7th of May 2026, FAFCE held its bi-annual Board Meeting in Bolzano, Italy. FAFCE Members from all over Europe gathered to exchange on their respective activities and on the work of the Federation at the European and UN level.

The Board Meeting started on the 5th of May at the “Haus der Familie”, a beautifully located education- and meeting-center for families in South Tyrol, in the middle of Dolomites. In the next days FAFCE Board Members presented their activities from the last semester and reflected on the strategic priorities for the next months.

On the 6th of May FAFCE Members attended a high level conference on “Family. Challenges and Opportunities in Europe. 60 Years of Family Policy in South Tyrol”. This event was organised by Katholischer Familienverband Südtirol (KFS) on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the association. 

Angelika Mitterutzner, FAFCE and KFS Vice-president and Sieglinde Aberham, KFS President, welcomed the public, explained the role of KFS and FAFCE in representing families at different levels and reminded that what children need most is time and love. The welcome was followed by a panel discussion with the participation of Bishop Ivo Muser, Bishop of Bozen, Arno Kompercher, Governor of South-Tyrol, Rosemarie Pamer, Regional Minister of Family, Renate Gebhard, Member of the Italian Parliament, Heiner Oberauch, President of Business Association and FAFCE President Vincenzo Bassi. 

Arno Kompercher recalled that “government money alone is never enough to start a family, it must be a choice” and that the role of policymakers is to create conditions in which parents can have the number of children they wish to have.

Renate Gebhard spoke about the importance of long term structural measures. Heiner Oberauch, President of the Business Association, shared the good practices introduced by his company in order to enable parents to spend more time with their children especially during the first years that are crucial for their development. He also encouraged other entrepreneurs to be competitive, but in a good sense : to introduce family-friendly measures, as “money is not the only factor of competitiveness”.

FAFCE President, Vincenzo Bassi, brought attention to the problem of loneliness and highlighted that family networks, of which KFS is an excellent example, are the antidote to this disease of loneliness of our times. He also called to consider family policies an investment, not a cost, as the family is not a problem, but the solution. 

The bishop of Bozen reminded that families cannot be replaced and that they bring hope as with the Christian vision of the world we believe in a future that is very much worthwhile. 

The discussion was concluded by a video message from MEP Erbert Dorffmann who mentioned the importance of equal opportunities and the link between stable family policies and higher birth rates.

The resolution on the family as a source of Hope : “Light houses of Hope : Christian virtues as a way of life” was adopted. After the end of the works on the 7th of November, FAFCE members enjoyed a guided tour of the city of Bolzano.

Observer delegates, sent from the Bishops’ Conferences of Albania took part in the FAFCE Board Meeting. This participation represents a step in the direction of the creation of a catholic family association in Albania.

The next FAFCE Board Meeting will take place between the 3-5th of November in Strasbourg, France.