It's no surprise that so far this year, almost all of my articles have focused on the future of the European Union. I've never hidden my deep conviction about the need for a large, united, and powerful Europe with a key role in the future of humanity. I think this is very good for Europeans, but also for the entire global population and the planet itself. I've often written that I want to talk about this because the political and economic processes we've experienced in recent years aren't taking us in the right direction. To seize the opportunities before us and achieve the goals we desire, there are necessary actions that are now, in addition to being essential, extremely urgent.
In the case of the EU, a relatively small geographical area with a clear shortage of many natural resources, the key to playing a relevant role in the future must be based on the capabilities of its human resources. I therefore believe that the policies that must most influence this future are those related to people, and I therefore focus my brief reflection on three aspects that I believe urgently require new policies: demography, migration, and training.
1. Demographic aging. What we see is not the same in northern and southern Europe, but it is evident that the population has been aging significantly in recent years. The sharp decline in the birth rate and the significant lengthening of life spans are significantly changing the age composition, but for the most part, social organization remains the same as was necessary and very useful in the industrial era. The role of young people, their autonomy or dependence on their families, and their integration into the world of work have changed; and the role of the elderly, both due to the extension of their intellectual capacity and the need for greater attention and care, is also very different from 50 years ago. This entails the need to review the role of families, neighborhood associations, private and public services, and to rethink the actions of the different levels of government. It is necessary to adapt social organization to the new needs of the post-industrial era. And we are not doing enough.
2. Immigration policies. It's easy to understand that a very important part of these adaptations must come from taking advantage of the benefits afforded by the current ease of movement on a global level. This is nothing new: Catalonia would never have achieved the industrial weight it has today without having welcomed many thousands of people and families who immigrated from southern Spain. And something similar happened in Central European countries with people from southern European countries. Now we must avoid, as misguided, two extreme policies: outright opposition to welcoming immigrants due to its obvious drawbacks, and total openness due to emotional or ethical demands. We must promote their entry, but by organizing and regulating it, due to the need we have in this new era. We must organize it so that the welcome is very positive, both in terms of what those who arrive find and can use, and the assistance provided to those who receive them.
3. Own creation and attraction of talent and capabilities. It may seem like the most complicated thing to do, but I think it's much easier than it seems, since we have many examples of policies that other countries have successfully developed in recent decades, and because the necessary training and technological tools exist and are available. We must significantly increase the knowledge and skills levels of our citizens; we must strive to attract and open the doors to people who already have these qualifications, and we must be very careful to provide them free of charge to newcomers who don't.
Many EU countries (including Spain and Catalonia in particular) have significant capacity to carry out this work, but we must increase their scale and expand the possibilities for expanding their use.
I can't conclude without reiterating once again that attracting talented and capable people doesn't depend solely on perspectives specifically related to the job's characteristics or pay. Other factors also play a role, making personal or family stays in countries with pleasant cultural, meteorological, artistic, and even touristic characteristics comfortable and enjoyable. Or, of course, the existence of an airport suitable for long-haul flights... I haven't wanted to go into the policies related to these types of realities, but I still believe they can have significant weight and should therefore be taken into serious consideration.
