Finland's birth rate remains historically low despite generous family support policies, driven by factors like economic uncertainty, relationship challenges, and changing life priorities among young people, raising concerns about future demographic shifts and policy effectiveness.
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right party Brothers of Italy, has completed her first year as Italy's first female prime minister. While some promises, such as curbing migration, have largely failed, her government has restricted NGO activities and struck a deal with Tunisia to stem migration. In terms of spending EU funds, progress has been slow due to bureaucratic inefficiencies. The government is working on supporting Italian families and encouraging new births, but has also implemented policies that discriminate against non-traditional families. Meloni's government has defended "Made in Italy" and attempted to boost Italian pride, but faced criticism for a failed tourism campaign. The promise to change Italy's constitution for the direct election of the president has not been fulfilled.