The major social challenges facing Greece today — from the demographic crisis and housing crisis to support for families and the return of Greeks living abroad — are addressed by Minister for Social Cohesion and Family Domna Michailidou in an interview with The National Herald, ahead of her visit to New York for the United Nations’ proceedings.

Michailidou stresses that tackling the demographic challenge requires long-term policy rather than piecemeal measures, with particular emphasis on housing, support for young families and so-called “brain regain”.

At the same time, she addresses the Greek diaspora, which she describes as an important multiplier of Greece’s international presence, stressing the need for younger generations of Greeks abroad to see the country not only as their place of origin, but also as a genuine option for studying, working, creating and building a life.

Asked about the purpose of her visit to New York, Michailidou said she wanted to highlight another dimension of the country’s international presence: “the policies Greece is implementing in response to social challenges that transcend national borders, such as the demographic challenge, housing, child protection, social rights and equality”.

She said that in New York she would, among other things, meet the Archbishop of America, Elpidophoros, the National Philoptochos Society and attend meetings at Fantis School.

She noted that the National Action Plan for the Demographic Challenge 2025-2035 includes more than 100 measures and has a ten-year implementation horizon, stressing that “we are building the conditions from now so that more young people can create the family and life they want in Greece”.

As regards measures to support families, she referred, among other things, to early childhood care, where income criteria are being abolished for nursery vouchers for families with three or more children, as well as the “Neighbourhood Nannies” program for families with three or more children, with no income threshold, which is now being implemented nationwide.

On housing, she said: “Housing policy must address two needs at the same time: enabling households to afford the cost of housing and ensuring that more homes are available on the market. This is the rationale behind the National Strategy for Housing Policy 2026-2035, with 50 measures and more than €6.5 billion. And because there are many different tools, we have brought them together on stegasi.gov.gr, so that every citizen can easily see which measure applies to them.”

Regarding the return of Greeks living abroad to Greece, Michailidou said that incentives were being provided for people to relocate, stressing that the brain drain trend had been reversed. “From 2010 to 2024, around 773,000 Greeks left the country and around 473,000 have returned, meaning almost six in ten. In 2023 and 2024, returns outnumbered departures.”

She also referred to ReBrain Greece, which connects Greeks living abroad with companies in Greece seeking highly skilled professionals. She said that 35 business groups operating in Greece and more than 1,500 Greeks living abroad took part in the ReBrain Greece event in New York, giving them the opportunity to explore specific professional opportunities in Greece.