Is this a country for young people?

“Life tin lone beryllium understood by looking back,” Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard erstwhile wrote, and looking backmost connected my ain beingness I recognize however fortunate my procreation was, increasing up successful the 1970s and 80s to person lived successful a much peaceful, safer, and much optimistic epoch than the present. On the contrary, our children’s procreation will person to unrecorded successful a overmuch bleaker world: with wars connected our doorstep, the specter of irreversible clime catastrophe looming, and the consciousness that the destiny of the world is held by inadequate radical afloat of complexes.

And arsenic if each this were not enough, children coming of age, particularly successful our country of the planet, person to look further obstacles successful their hunt for happiness. A society that is nepotistic by conviction, a labour marketplace that is biased against young people, a κοινωνικά extortion system that insists connected prioritizing pensions implicit daycare centers, a lodging marketplace inaccessible to those without strong household support, and a nationalist indebtedness that is mounting, narrowing Greece’s horizons.

One denotation of however large the impasse experienced by today’s young radical is is provided by the fig of births, which, since the post-war babe roar era, has functioned arsenic a benignant of “vote of confidence” successful the future: In Greece it has fallen to 68,000 successful 2024 from 118,000 successful 2008 (a 42% drop, the 2nd largest successful the EU aft Latvia). The world is ominous, but the question is what we tin bash to reverse it – aft all, the (same) philosopher added that beingness “must beryllium experienced looking forward.” This question not lone concerns the authorities (let us each inquire ourselves if we are giving opportunities to young radical successful situations that are within our power – e.g. successful our nonrecreational environment), but it is the main 1 that should beryllium mobilized.

To its credit, the authorities does not look wholly unaware of the problem, judging by the tax measures announced astatine the Thessaloniki International Fair by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the caller activism successful lodging policy, oregon the initiatives to repatriate those who prosecute careers abroad. Are these enough? The casual reply is “no.” A much honorable reply would admit that the occupation is immense and to some grade beyond the power of (any) government. But again: There is country for action, and important enactment astatine that.

Let maine disregard for present the biggest and astir hard problems, for which the authorities had created large expectations which were subsequently crushed, such arsenic the much-discussed upgrade of the country’s accumulation model, without which the Greek system will ne'er beryllium capable to make galore bully jobs. Let’s besides disregard initiatives successful favour of young couples that I person mentioned successful erstwhile articles – such arsenic the committedness that each kid calved successful the state will person a escaped spot successful a bully nursery successful their vicinity (it would outgo us 1% of the pensions budget) oregon the mandatory paid permission for each worker who becomes a begetter (at the disbursal of the state, not the employer), measures that not lone lend to the intelligence wellness of young radical and their children, but besides instrumentality higher benefits to the system than they cost.

Let us bounds ourselves to the government’s argumentation connected research, which to some seems an unnecessary luxury, but will impact the country’s economical imaginable successful the future. In bid for Greeks who excel overseas to instrumentality and start a family, but besides to springiness opportunities to worthy individuals who ne'er left, tax exemptions are not enough. What is needed is realistic prospects for advancement successful an simple meritocratic environment. On the contrary, the systematic neglect of (public) universities and probe centers, the hostile bureaucracy, the government’s indifference to the valuation (and support) of those who work successful them, arsenic well arsenic the scandalous absorption of EU funds that travel into the state – such arsenic the “Trust Your Stars” programme – nonstop a wide message: “Leave oregon stay where you are, with nary prospects.”

Their responses (in the caller “Youth Survey” of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation with the National Center for Social Research) amusement that this is precisely what they are thinking of doing.

Manos Matsaganis is simply a prof of nationalist concern astatine the Polytechnic University of Milan, and caput of the Greek and European Economy Observatory astatine the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).