People are the power: Solving Europe’s demographic dilemma
Guests
- Alberto Rizzi, Policy Fellow, ECFR
- John Springford, Associate Fellow, Centre for European Reform
Chaired by
Agathe Demarais, Head of Geoeconomics Initiative and Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR
Europe’s shrinking and ageing population is not just a domestic issue – it is a strategic challenge with global implications. As population dynamics reshape the international balance of power, Europe risks losing geoeconomic leverage and political influence.
This public event marks the launch of a new ECFR policy brief “Markets, Migrants, Microchips: European Power in a World of Demographic Change”, authored by Alberto Rizzi. The brief explores how Europe’s demographic trajectory affects its global standing – and why decline does not have to spell geopolitical marginalisation. Instead, it outlines how European policymakers can act today to secure tomorrow’s influence: through smart migration policy, deeper partnerships with demographically rising countries, and better use of technology and the single market.
Join us as we discuss:
- Is Europe’s demographic decline inevitable – and does it necessarily lead to a loss of global influence?
- What role can migration, enlargement and economic reforms play in countering demographic headwinds?
- How can Europe forge strategic partnerships with countries in Africa, the Indo-Pacific and Latin America to turn demographic challenges into geopolitical opportunities?
- How should the EU communicate the long-term necessity of demographic policies in short-term political cycles?