Birth rates in Europe have cratered just as lifespans extend. Confronting this population squeeze, leaders reach for two blunt instruments: push back retirement ages or expand right-to-die laws.
Both miss the fundamental problem.
Europe’s Population Cliff Gets Steeper Each Year
The numbers tell a grim story.
Europe's population will shrink by 6% by 2100 with current immigration levels.
Without migration, the drop would be catastrophic – over a third gone.
Countries like Türkiye show how dramatic this shift can be. Fertility rates plummeted from 7 in the 1970s to below 1.5 today.
The same trend repeats across the continent.
Italy confronts perhaps the bleakest future. With one of Europe’s lowest birth rates, the country’s population could halve by century’s end without immigration.
Villages like Camini in Calabria already display what’s coming: empty houses, closed schools, and dying communities.
Why Working Until Seventy Won’t Save Us
Denmark leads the charge in raising retirement ages. The country formally increased its retirement age to 70 by 2040. Other countries are following suit, with retirement ages rising across the continent.
Working longer makes mathematical sense. Fewer retirees means lower pension costs and more tax revenue.
Denmark’s approach links retirement age to life expectancy increases automatically. However, this quick fix has limits.
Physical jobs wear bodies down faster than desk work. Construction workers can’t build until 70. Nurses struggle with night shifts at 65.
The FutuRes project warns that automation will make some workers vulnerable before they reach these new retirement ages.
Working longer also ignores quality of life.
People want time for family, travel, and hobbies. Pushing retirement to 70 or 74 – as Denmark projects by 2060 – steals those golden years.
The Euthanasia Escape Route Gains Ground
Across Europe, assisted dying laws are spreading rapidly.
France’s parliament just approved a bill allowing terminally ill adults to request lethal medication.
Czech Republic’s STAN party included assisted dying in its election platform, with 73% public support.
The Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland already permit various forms of assisted dying.
Spain, Luxembourg, and Austria have joined them.
Portugal tried but its Constitutional Court blocked implementation.
Proponents argue this gives people dignity and choice. Why suffer when death is certain?
If demographics mean fewer young people supporting more elderly, perhaps assisted dying relieves pressure on healthcare systems.
When Quick Fixes Become Dangerous Shortcuts
Both solutions treat symptoms, not the disease.
Working longer doesn’t create more babies. Euthanasia doesn’t solve workforce shortages.
In fact, raising retirement ages hurts the working class most. Middle-class professionals can often work past 65: many choose to anyway. Manual workers cannot.
This creates a two-tier system where wealth determines when you can retire.
Assisted dying carries darker risks.
Economic pressure could push vulnerable elderly towards death.
Why burden your children with care costs when you could choose to die?
What starts as personal choice could become social expectation.
Faith leaders across France warned of these perils when opposing the recent bill.
The Economic Model Needs Fundamental Reform
Europe’s demographic predicament comes from economic structures that discourage childbearing.
Housing costs consume huge portions of young people’s income. Childcare is expensive and patchy. Career advancement often requires long hours incompatible with family life.
The FutuRes project identifies automation as both problem and solution. Robots could free humans for care work – looking after children and elderly. But only if we manage the transition properly.
Immigration helps but isn't a silver bullet. The Guardian's analysis presents that immigration delays doesn't prevent population decline. Immigrants need jobs, integration, and often have fewer children than expected once settled.
Real solutions require rethinking work, family, and social support.
Shorter working weeks could help work-life balance. Universal childcare would remove barriers to having children. Automation could fund generous family benefits through robot taxes.
What Europe Really Needs to Get Right
European policymakers must stop reaching for easy answers. The demographic predicament requires structural alteration, not cosmetic fixes.
France’s method combining palliative care improvements with assisted dying laws presents more thoughtful planning.
Czech Republic’s Vít Rakušan urges improving palliative care alongside assisted dying discussions. This addresses real healthcare gaps rather than just offering death as an option.
The village of Camini offers another model. By welcoming refugees, the community brought its school back to life. New residents brought skills, energy, and hope.
Working longer and assisted dying aren’t inherently wrong. But treating them as demographic solutions is wishful thinking.
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