Demographic and family policy discourses and practices in Europe
Date: 17 November 2025, 10:00 a.m. (arrival) – 5:00 p.m.) in Berlin
Demographic change and its consequences pose a variety of challenges for societies in Europe. Intensive discussions are currently taking place at both national and European level, focusing primarily on the development of strategies to cope with these challenges.
However, these discussions often touch on questions of ‘ideal models’ with regard to population size and age structure, and even on which population groups are considered desirable or less welcome.
In some cases, there are latent ‘models’ for coping with demographic change that are susceptible to exclusionary arguments. In the migration discourse, for example, migrant families are sometimes categorised according to criteria of usefulness (highly skilled vs. low-skilled) or according to countries of origin (“good” vs. ‘bad’). Here, the debates on demographic policy often overlap with the discourse on family policy and the debate on the priorities of state family policy and its respective goals and consequences for different family forms. However, family realities in Europe are more pluralistic today than ever before.
Against this backdrop, this year’s European Expert Discussion will examine the current state of demographic development in Europe, the corresponding discourse, family and demographic policies, and their implications.
Participation is free of charge. The programme is attached.
Please register by 4 November 2025:
- by email: anmeldung@ag-familie.de
- online: registration form below
Contact for further information:
Holger Adolph, adolph@ag-familie.de, telephone: 030/2902825-72
Draft Agenda
10.00h Arrival
10.30h Welcome: Sven Iversen, Geschäftsführer der AGF
10:40h Setting the scene:
- Demographic change in Europe. Between declining birth rates, rising social inequality and the need for political action
Dr. Nicole Hiekel, Max-Planck-Institut für Demografische Forschung (MPIDR) - Converging patterns of demographic policies and demographic discourse in Europe?
Prof. Dr. Anna Rotkirch, Population Research Institute, Family Federation of Finland
11:30 Questions and discussion
12.10h The European Union and its strategy for dealing with demographic change
- EU Commission (tbc)
Questions and discussion
13.00h – 14:00h Lunch break
14.00h Family policy and demographic policies and their implications in EU countries
Inputs:
- Italy: Prof. Dr. Manuela Stranges
- Germany: PD Dr. Susanne Schultz
- Lithuania: Prof Dr. Lijana Gvaldaitė
- Contributions by particpants.
16:15h Outlook: Shaping demographic change in a family-friendly and inclusive way
- Dr. Andreas Edel, Population Europe, Berlin
17.00h End
Similtanous translation: EN / GER