Demographic trends and human potential in the countries of central and eastern Europe

Doc. 7498
1 March 1996

Motion for a Recommendation
presented by Mrs AGUIAR and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

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            The Assembly,

1.         Concerned about such demographic trends as declining life expectancy, falling fertility rates and increased migration which have been observed, to varying degrees, in the countries of central and eastern Europe;

2.         Aware that socio-economic changes in these countries since the end of the 1980s have had a significant impact on these trends;

3.         Noting that the diversity of situations between the countries of the region must be borne in mind when examining their demographic situation;   

4.         Emphasising that present demographic trends adversely affect the ability of these countries to carry through the reforms that they have undertaken, since human resources constitute the basis of development,

5.         Recommends that the Committee of Ministers invite the member states concerned:

i.          to increase their resources devoted to improving health-care, working conditions and the quality of the environment;

ii.          to promote better management of existing human resources;

iii.         to foster healthy lifestyles which would limit certain diseases, especially of the cardio-vascular system;

iv.         to improve the social welfare system, in particular for families with several children;

v.         to promote sex education in schools and through the mass media with a view to reducing the number of abortions;

vi.         to make better use of intellectual capital through the development of appropriate training and employment policies;

vii.        to include social cohesion as one of the aims of social and economic policies backed by adequate budgetary resources; 

viii.  to develop European co-operation in this field, focusing in particular on exchanges of experience and information, support for research and the formulation of social and economic policies;

ix.  to fully implement the recommendations of the European Population Conference (Geneva, 1993) and of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994).

Signed [*]:
Aguiar, Portugal, LDR
Andres, Germany, SOC
Arnold, Denmark, LDR
Atkinson, United Kingdom, EDG
Fehr, Switzerland, LDR
Fuhrmann, Austria, SOC
Gross, Switzerland, SOC
Iwinski, Poland, SOC
Jacquat, France, LDR
I.B. Johansson, Sweden, SOC
Junghanns, Germany, EPP
Kalus, Czech Republic, EDG
R. Karas, Poland,
Kukk, Estonia, EPP
Trojan, Czech Republic, SOC

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*          SOC : Socialist Group
            EPP : Group of the European People's Party
            EDG : European Democratic Group
            LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group
            UEL : Group of the Unified European Left