European cities concerned about population ageing

The gathering, which is held every two years, is also being attended by representatives of Croatian cities, including Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Pula and Gospic.

Cities are changing all the time, and in the future they will be a lot different than they are today, said the Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, noting that European cities are facing a demographic challenge.

The population of our cities is rapidly ageing, and there are more and more families without children or with one child, he said.

Turin has a population of 848,000 and 25 per cent of its residents are older than 65 years. This number could increase to 35% by 2050, the mayor said.

At the same time, the number of young people in Africa will double, so it is necessary to see how the EU will manage migration flows, Lo Russo said.

The Cities Forum has been taking place since 2014 and provides a platform for local authorities to raise their concerns and to cooperate with regional and central governments in drawing funding from EU funds.

This is the fifth forum after those held in Brussels (2014 and 2015), Rotterdam (2017) and Porto (2020).