Representing Slovenia, State Secretary at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development mag. Marko Koprivc underscored that demographic change is an issue that has to be given all the attention it deserves. He called for a holistic and integrated approach together with synergistic policy action and engagement of all stakeholders in society to effectively address the challenges that come with demographic change.   

"We see that demographic change has a powerful impact on social and health systems, on housing and infrastructure needs as well as on our economies and public finance planning. It also plays its part in deepening development disparities between regions. That is why we should extend the range of measures and widen the scope of eligible beneficiaries as part of planning of future cohesion policy, especially in the areas of care, health, lifelong learning, and housing,’’ underlined State Secretary Koprivc in his intervention.

According to the State Secretary, mainstreaming demographic concerns into policy should become one of the key elements of planning and implementation of future cohesion policy to ensure that policies are adapted sooner and better and that resources are reallocated accordingly.