Brussels, Tuesday 24 February
FAFCE met with the Croatian Minister for Demography and Immigration, Mr Ivan Šipić, today in Brussels.
FAFCE was represented by Matthieu Bruynssels as Advocacy Director for the European Union, and by Teresa Gerns as Advocacy Director for the Council of Europe and United Nations. The Croatian Minister for Demography was accompagnied by his State Secretary Mladen Barać.
Before beginning the official talks, the minister adressed his full support to FAFCE after our Federation had been refused funding by the EU.
The meeting was an opportunity to exchange views on demography , which minister Ivan Šipić considers essential for Europe’s future. He underlined the very advantageous parental leave that he introduced in Croatia : six plus six months of paid salary (up to 3.000 €) for mothers and one month for fathers. These leaves can be taken before their kid reaches eight years old. The minister insisted on the fact that a “change of mindset” is needed to tackle the demographic winter and to hope succeeding to a demographic spring.
Matthieu Bruynseels and Teresa Gerns had the time to expose FAFCE work about demography, such as the suggestion to count demographic expenditures as investments rather than debts, or the latest developments of the resolution for a demographic spring at the Council of Europe.
