Vlatko Gjorchev is an influential politician in North Macedonia and an EU expert on demography and social policy. As a member of the Parliament and chairman of the Committee on Labour and Social Policy, he has devoted a great deal of time to researching and overcoming demographic obstacles. He has a broad global understanding of demographic trends thanks to years of personal study, vast practical experience in solving demographic problems with a holistic approach and detailed knowledge of the global and European demographic challenge.
According to him, the demographic situation in Ukraine is very bad. Ukraine has been losing population for 30 years: people who could earn money and thus influence the country’s economic growth are leaving the country, and at the same time, the number of students is falling along with the population. In 1983, 811,000 children were born per year, and last year only 190,000 were born, which is a significant drop. In 1992, there were 52 million people, today we don’t know the exact figures, but we assume that about 26-29 million people according to optimistic forecasts. Thus, the population has fallen by almost half. The trend is clear, the demographic situation is catastrophic and we need to work on it.
Demography is a multilevel issue, there are many different indicators that influence it, it is a very dynamic discipline. Countries in Europe are facing huge challenges in the field of demography: out of 27 EU countries, deaths outnumber births in 17. Unfortunately, there is no single formula for solving these problems, but I am pleased that the European Commission created the position of Vice President for Democracy and Demography in 2019. This is a good signal that the von der Leyn Commission is able to demonstrate.
As for the future of Ukraine, it will be a lot of work that needs to be done by the government, society and universities, as well as other institutions. In Macedonia, we had a successful campaign for families who have a third child, financial incentives, free books for students in schools, housing, access to university education, more kindergartens and many other measures that have been taken. To overcome the demographic crisis, we need to use the right combination of methods.
The situation is definitely very difficult, I understand that. Right now, the war is a priority, you need to defend yourself. But also other areas of the country’s existence must continue to work. The education system continues to work, because children and young people need to get knowledge. Agriculture has not stopped working because people need to eat. The economy has not stopped because people need jobs. It’s the same with demographics. Life must go on. One day, when the war is over, you will need people to rebuild the country and people who want to live in it. You can do anything: build roads, buildings and housing, factories, airports, but if there are no people, it’s all over.
We would like to thank Mr Vlatko for the informative conversation. We are confident that our joint work will make a significant contribution to our future.
