Pensions reform pressure mounts with new EU demographics

EU citizens are living longer and healthier lives than ever before, but without immigration the overall population would have contracted again during the past year, according to the latest population figures from Eurostat covering 2001. The average EU female can now expect to live more than 81 years, and the average male more than 75 years. Fertility has not changed, registered as 1.47 births per woman compared to 1.48 the previous year. The two factors taken together mean that without net immigration last year, the population would have contracted and aged even faster....