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impedir de cumprir o nosso dever de recordar e de agir, e a nossa Assembleia deve dar o exemplo», acrescentou, sublinhando a necessidade de apoiar e desenvolver locais de memória e de integrar a sua história nos currículos escolares.

«Neste dia, opomo-nos à escalada do antissemitismo, recordamos que os crimes da Shoah foram cometidos na Europa, por europeus, e comprometemo-nos com os nossos jovens e o seu futuro», sublinhou Alain Berset, Secretário-Geral do Conselho da Europa. Alain Berset sublinhou a importância de «saber o que aconteceu em todos os campos de concentração e de extermínio nazis» e de agir para que tal não volte a acontecer. «Quando permitimos que a impunidade fique impune, damos poder aos inimigos da democracia».

Durante a cerimónia – que foi precedida de um debate em plenário sobre «Multiperspectividade na memória e educação histórica para a cidadania democrática» – usaram da palavra os líderes dos grupos políticos da Assembleia, bem como representantes das comunidades cigana e LGBTIQ+, e realizou-se uma sessão de perguntas e respostas com um grupo de alunos do ensino secundário.

A cerimónia foi seguida de um momento de reflexão, durante o qual foram colocadas coroas de flores em homenagem às vítimas do Holocausto em frente à estela comemorativa no átrio do Palais de l'Europe, e foi observado um minuto de silêncio.

• Debate: A imigração, uma das respostas ao envelhecimento demográfico da Europa O Deputado Ricardo Carvalho (PSD) fez a seguinte intervenção em nome do grupo político: Thank you, Mister President.

Dear friends,

Demographic ageing in Europe is not just a problem, it is also a reality.

This is not a new problem. We have been discussing this for over 20 years, without a common strategy and

without results.

The decline in the youth and working-age population will have profound implications for individuals, public

services and businesses, with a particularly enormous impact on health and social care systems, labour

markets, public finances and workers' rights, and social security.

It’s our competitiveness that we are talking about.

It's our future we are talking about, and the future of the new generations.

But this challenge we are facing is also an opportunity for our countries.

This is why we need to encourage and appeal to our countries to develop effective policies and initiatives to

increase the birth rate with specific tax, labour and social incentives to support families; ensure the well-being

and quality of life of the elderly population and integrate immigrants by promoting social cohesion and

defending human dignity.

If birth rate policies and initiatives are important but with long-term expected results, migration policies can

accelerate the short-term results that we need in the demographic ageing of Europe.

Let's forget about populism, we need immigrants in Europe – legal immigrants.

We have a shortage of labour in our countries. An undifferentiated but also highly qualified workforce is

required.

This is why it is essential to improve state policies that promote the overall integration and social cohesion of

migrants: establish a new social contract; improve education; develop targeted housing policies; improve the

recognition of skills acquired abroad; adapt migrants’ skills to the job market and many other policies and

initiatives.

Dear friends,

At the Group of the European People's Party (EPP), we are very pragmatic.

We are in favour of legal immigration. We need legal immigrants in our countries. With humanism, with

dignity.

But we also know, and we fully agree with the rapporteur, whom we congratulate, that in order to address

this demographic change, member states must consider developing effective policies and initiatives to ensure

the well-being and quality of life of the elderly population, as well as implementing strategies to promote fertility

rates.