In many households across Europe, generations care for one another in quiet, everyday ways. A grandparent picks up children from school. A parent balances work with caring for both young children and aging relatives. Another parent needs to stay home to care for their child with a disability. A young adult delays moving out due to housing costs. These are not isolated moments, they are the fabric of family life.
At COFACE Families Europe, we believe these daily acts of intergenerational support deserve strong public policies. Families already show tremendous intergenerational solidarity, but they cannot - and should not - bear the full weight of care, education, and labour market shocks alone.
Through our network in 23 countries, we see how policies affect real lives of families. When childcare is unavailable, it limits both children’s development and parents’ careers. When long-term care is unaffordable, families stretch to fill the gap. When housing is insecure or jobs unstable, younger generations hesitate to plan for the future.
We call on the EU to make intergenerational fairness more than a concept. Invest in care, education, support services, housing, and fair labour conditions. Improve data collection and use on family realities. Build policies that reflect the mutual support already happening in families, so that solidarity is shared not just within households, but across society. Only then we can build a resilient Europe, for current and future generations.