Reversing low birth rate at heart of our agenda says Meloni

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 7 - Premier Giorgia Meloni reiterated on Tuesday that helping families and reversing Italy's declining birth rate were among her government's top priorities.
    "We are facing a major challenge, declining birth rates are afflicting the whole of Europe and a certain cultural climate has contributed to pushing down the demographic curve (even further) in Italy," Meloni said in a video message to a meeting on working mothers (La maternità (non) è un'impresa).
    "There has been a lack of attention for decades.
    "While people were taking action elsewhere, talking about supporting the birth rate seemed almost to be a taboo in Italy.
    "We have broken that taboo, we have put family and the birth rate at the centre of the government's agenda.
    "With this budget law (for 2024) and the last one, we have put in place a package of measures worth over 2.5 billion euro (to address the issue)".
    The premier linked low birth rates to the country's economic performance.
    "Declining birth rates and lack of freedom are basically two faces of degrowth," she said.
    "No matter what anyone says, degrowth is never happy.
    "We want Italy to grow, to grow the freedom of its citizens, the welfare of its workers, its ability to produce.
    "Mother-friendly and child-friendly business can be a key to facing this challenge together" (ANSA).