Editorial: Demographic time bomb

Greece has many problems, and the country is making feverish efforts to solve many of them.

At the same time, however, it continues to ignore the greatest problem, a population decline that appears irreversible for the next three decades.

What that means is obvious. A population that does not bear children is not only condemned to grow old, but is also in danger of being obliterated. It moves toward a slow death, as the dwindling of productive age brackets leads to the dissolution of the productive base.

What future can a country have when the number of deaths steadily exceeds the number of deaths?

Naturally, this overarching problem cannot be solved overnight, as it requires political planning and a long-term strategy.

As experts have often underlined, it is impossible to solve the problem without political will and specific state initiatives.

How can one encourage Greek families to bear more children, when benefits for families with three or more children are viewed as luxury, and have been eliminated? How can this disastrous course be reversed, when all children do not have access to structures such as child care centres?

How can the country stand on its feet when the state is shooting itself in the foot and bleeding households?

The questions are rhetorical, but they demand urgent answers