October 12 (BTA) - The possibilities to address the
demographic challenges facing Bulgaria and the EU by creating
better living conditions in small settlements and ensuring
high-quality care and services to children and elderly people
were on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting here between Bulgaria's
Deputy Prime Minister and Labour and Social Policy Minister
Galab Donev and visiting European Commission Vice President for
Democracy and Demography Dubravka Suica, Donev's Ministry said
in a press release.

The Deputy PM said that Bulgaria will submit its National
Recovery and Resilience Plan to the European Commission on
October 15 and noted that the implementation of the social
projects included in the plan will reform the social services
for the elderly by setting up new social services providing
high-quality and person-specific care in a near-family
environment.

Demographic changes in Europe and their impact on societies and
the economy were among the subjects discussed in online Citizens
 Dialogue with Suica, involving also Foreign Ministers Svetlan
Stoev of Bulgaria and Gordan Grlic-Radman of Croatia.

The European Commission Vice President said that there are
certain signs that COVID-19 has increased the number of people
from Eastern and Southeastern Europe who are moving back home
and are leaving the UK after Brexit. She added that it is still
impossible to say whether these trends will be irreversible.

The citizens dialogue is part of the Conference on the Future of
 Europe, which aims to encourage citizens from across Europe to
share their ideas and contribute to the shaping of the common
European future. The event was streamed live on the Facebook
page of the European Commission's Representation in Bulgaria.  
MY/LG

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