State Chancellery REGIONS FOR ECONOMIC CHANGE Regional policy

State Chancellery REGIONS FOR ECONOMIC CHANGE „Regional policy responses to demographic challenges“ Disparities within one region: how the Land Brandenburg manages shrinking cities, a booming urban belt and an ageing region at the same time Dr. -Ing. Hans-Ulrich Oel Head of Unit for Demographic Change State Chancellery Land Brandenburg 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg 0

Age pyramid of Schwedt/Oder 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg State Chancellery 1

New distribution of population State Chancellery Potsdam Frankfurt (Oder) Cottbus 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg 2

What is to do? State Chancellery How can we manage the regional challenges? What is necessary? What is possible? _______ First we have to understand, that demographic change is a reality § There is a demand for strategic planning and coordination § Demographic change needs to be top priority What is to do? 1. Mount a campaign, to have an intensive political communication 2. Create conditions for an increase in natality 3. Configure the process of demographic change 4. Readapt infrastructure to the new density and structure of population 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg 3

Population development State Chancellery Give population development a direction What we already initiated: § Give – potential – parents a reliable perspective on a job § Adequate supply with kindergartens § Advanced training courses for parents having trouble with education § Local alliances for families (“Lokale Bündnisse für Familien“) § Entrepreneurial initiative “Babies and Bosses“ What we need to do: § Improvement of communication between generations Further information to this Demographic field of policy: www. familiennews. brandenburg. de Change in Brandenburg 25. 01. 2007 4

To form demographic change State Chancellery Use the potential competence of elderly people What we already initiated: § Corporative and social engagement of citizens § Programme “Policy for senior citizens” as a guide line for ministries § Policy not for but with senior citizens and NGOs § Increase the labour-force participation rate of elderly people What we need to do: § Hand over expert knowledge of elderly people to younger people § Silver Economy (“Turn Silver into Gold“, Mary Furlong) 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg 5

Responding to the effects I State Chancellery Central place system, modernisation of administration, infrastructure What we already initiated: § Reduction of the number of local authorities from 1479 to 421 § Services of public interest with regional relevance in 50 medium sized centres § e. Government, transition to a more flexible administration § Demography check for investments and deconstruction of technical infrastructure § Reorganisation of social and medical care systems and regional public services What we need to do: § Concentration on the Demographic main tasks Change in Brandenburg 25. 01. 2007 6

Responding to the effects II State Chancellery Redirection of economic policy and innovations What we already initiated: § To strengthen the excellence: 15 regional clusters of business companies § To strengthen the excellence: 16 groups of branch competence § Concept for innovations, promotion of small and middle enterprises (SME) § Use the potential capacity of rural regions (health economy, tourism etc. ) § Lifelong learning: Providing competences of children up to senior university What we need to do: 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg 7

Factors of success State Chancellery Which things we have pegged as success factors of Brandenburg’s way to manage demographic change and its effects____________ § Strategic planning and coordination and top priority § Intensive political communication raises people’s awareness § Thinking in generations instead of legislative periods § Networking of actors – regional and sectoral § To strengthen the excellence boosts self-confidence What we need to do to have a further factor of success: § 25. 01. 2007 Creating a mainstream demographic change in all policy fields Demographic Change in Brandenburg 8

Pitfalls State Chancellery Which things we have pegged as pitfalls of Brandenburg’s way to manage demographic change and its consecutions______ § Declining population and phasing out of private and public services often leads to a downwards spiral in the concerned region § Deconstruction of high standards breeds disenchantment with politics § Construction and deconstruction at the same time breeds dissatisfaction § Egoism of ministries and “fraternity” heats up the struggle of distribution § Long time planning is often not understood, as the problem seems Demographic Change in Brandenburg 9 25. 01. 2007 far away

State Chancellery When it comes to the future, your task is not to foresee it, but rather to enable it to happen. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry www. demografie. brandenburg. de 25. 01. 2007 Demographic Change in Brandenburg 10