First International “Growing Europe” Summit Took Place in Lithuania, Bringing Together First Ladies and Gentlemen from Seven Countries

On 17–18 November, Vilnius hosted the inaugural international “Growing Europe” summit, dedicated to the theme “Shaping Europe’s Demographic Future by Investing in Families and Every New Life”. The event was organised at the initiative of Lithuania’s First Lady, Diana Nausėdienė, together with the national initiative “Growing Lithuania”, held under her patronage, and the association for premature infants “Neišnešiotukas”.

The event was attended by active members of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform: the First Ladies of Albania, Armanda Begaj, and Serbia, Tamara Vučić, as well as the First Gentleman of Slovenia, Dr Aleš Musar.

Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, joined the event remotely. The First Ladies of Poland, Marta Nawrocka, and Türkiye, Emine Erdoğan, sent video messages. The summit was also attended by the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, and the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mathias Cormann.

During the opening of the event, Lithuania’s First Lady emphasised that the number of children born in the European Union has almost halved over the past 60 years, creating significant challenges for Europe’s future. “What determines all this? Economic downturns and cost-of-living crises have an impact. The Covid pandemic worsened the situation, impacting Southern European countries more severely. Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine may also influence family-planning decisions, especially in Eastern Europe,” Diana Nausėdienė noted. She also stressed that families are choosing to have children at a much later age. The First Lady highlighted the need to find mechanisms that would allow the good ideas of the OECD, the European Union, and the WHO to be transformed into wise decisions.

Throughout 17–18 November, participants discussed key challenges to Europe’s demographic future, including declining birth rates and family support, inclusive care systems and access to services, as well as the implementation of European standards for neonatal healthcare. As part of the summit, the First Ladies and Gentlemen visited the neonatal intensive care unit of the Santaros Clinic.