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Demography and migration Zoltán Simon and Tamás Dezső Ziegler Europes demographic decline is in the limelight of contemporary public debates and is a major source of concern in a number of countries across the continent. Some public intellectuals warn against a “collective suicide” of European societies in the light of low birth rates and a rapidly ageing population. These dynamics also feed into key policy challenges, such as a shrinking labour force in the European economy, or the sustainability of existing public health and pension systems, but may also create political tensions — between older and younger generations, for instance - in the future. Moreover, they have negative implications on Europe's posture in the global arena. A potential answer to shrinking and ageing societies could be more openness towards immigration into Europe. Nevertheless, as migration is closely intertwined with other highly sensitive topics, such as identity, security, or social integration, it has also become a strongly emotional matter in public debates, which is not only politicised but also instrumentalised by some political actors. In the lack of a proper balance between these various factors, migration has the potential to become a major source of disruptive disintegration dynamics within the European Union and in European societies. Keywords: demographic decline, ageing societies, immigration, Leitkultur, politicisation DEMOGRAPHY AND POLITICS — Zoltan Simon! — positions of the institution he is an official of.
