If current demographic trends continue, the EU population will age and begin to decline after the middle of the decade, and in a scenario of zero net migration, the decline could be sharp, to approximately 294 million by 2100, according to calculations based on Eurostat projections (EUROPOP2023).
According to Eurostat’s baseline scenario, which assumes continued positive net migration, the EU population will grow from 446.7 million in 2022 to a peak of 453.3 million in 2026, after which it will gradually decline to 419.5 million by 2100 (down 6.1% from 2022).
At the same time, Eurostat also publishes alternative scenarios (sensitivity tests), including a zero net migration option. In this scenario, the total population of the EU by the end of the century is significantly lower – estimated at around 294 million people, which means a reduction of about one-third from mid-2020s levels. These differences are also highlighted in visualizations based on Eurostat data, as cited by regional media.
The key driver of population decline is negative natural growth. According to Eurostat estimates, between 2022 and 2100, approximately 291.3 million people could be born in the EU, with 416.6 million deaths (a net reduction due to natural movement of approximately 125.3 million), while cumulative net migration in the baseline scenario will partially offset the losses, adding about 98.1 million people.
At the country level, the differences are even more noticeable. In Eurostat’s baseline scenario, the largest population declines by 2100 are expected in Latvia and Lithuania (more than a third), as well as in Greece. At the same time, a number of countries, on the contrary, show population growth due to migration, including Luxembourg and Ireland.
It is noted separately that for Croatia, Eurostat’s baseline scenario predicts a decline in population from about 3.86 million in 2022 to about 2.82 million in 2100, while in scenarios with stricter migration assumptions, the final figures may be lower.
The share of EU residents aged 16-74 who used generative artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, etc.) in 2025 was 32.7%, according to the European Union’s statistical service (Eurostat).
According to Eurostat, such services were most often used for personal purposes (25.1% of respondents), less often for work (15.1%) and formal education (9.4%).
Among EU countries, the highest prevalence of generative AI use was recorded in Denmark (48.4%), Estonia (46.6%), and Malta (46.5%), while the lowest rates were recorded in Romania (17.8%), Italy (19.9%), and Bulgaria (22.5%).
According to Euronews, citing European statistics, in a sample of 33 European countries, the highest level of use was recorded in Norway (56%), and the lowest in Turkey (17%); The group of countries with penetration above 40% included Denmark, Estonia, Malta, Iceland, Finland, Croatia, Belgium, Sweden, Slovakia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Ukraine does not appear in this European comparison. At the same time, according to a KIIS survey (fieldwork period: February 14-March 4, 2025), 26% of adult Ukrainians had practical experience using AI, with 17% doing so regularly (including 12% daily or almost daily).
Source: https://expertsclub.eu/32-zhyteliv-yes-u-2025-roczi-vykorystovuvaly-shi/
On January 1, 2026, Ukraine joined the EU’s single roaming zone Roam like at home: subscribers can call, send SMS messages, and use mobile internet in 27 EU countries at Ukrainian rates — without “international rates,” according to Suspilne.
Similarly, subscribers from EU countries traveling to Ukraine will retain their home rates.
Roam like at home is the EU’s internal market regime for mobile communications. It allows you to use calls, SMS, and mobile internet abroad without roaming surcharges.
As for the internet, the pan-European Fair Use Policy applies. If your tariff in Ukraine includes 20 GB or unlimited data, this does not mean that all these gigabytes will be available in the EU for free. Operators calculate the volume using a special EU formula linked to the cost of your tariff, explains Suspilne.
“Welcome Moldova and Ukraine to the EU zone without roaming! From today, you can ”roam like at home” because we are preparing a home for you in the European Union. The benefits of our Union bring Europeans closer together across the continent – also on the eve of EU accession,” wrote European Commissioner for EU Enlargement Marta Kos in H.
Back in June last year, as reported by Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, the European Commission sent a proposal to the EU Council to join Ukraine to the Roam like at Home policy from January 1, 2026. The EU Council approved this proposal. In early June, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Bill No. 12150, which is the final requirement for Ukraine to join the single European roaming area Roam like at home (RLAH).
Since 2022, Ukrainians in Europe have been able to use the tariffs of Ukrainian mobile operators without additional roaming charges, thanks to temporary joint agreements between operators in Ukraine and the EU.
Fedorov himself emphasized on Thursday: “Ukraine is a full member of the European Roam Like at Home policy. Domestic tariffs for Ukrainians in Europe will be standard practice — previously, these were agreements with European operators.”
Roam Like at Home is an opportunity for Ukrainians who are temporarily traveling or staying in EU countries to make calls and use the internet at their operator’s tariffs without any additional charges, Fedorov wrote on Telegram.
“We became the first candidate country to join Roam Like at Home even before joining the EU. Use your operator’s tariffs in Europe without changing your SIM card,” he said.
According to Serbian Economist, the structure of issuance of first residence permits in EU countries in 2024 differed markedly: in Croatia 95.3% of first residence permits were issued for work reasons, while in Ireland and France the most common reason was training, according to Eurostat.
According to Eurostat, the share of “working” first residence permits in 2024 was highest in Croatia (95.3%), as well as in Lithuania (81.8%) and Romania (77.2%).
At the same time, family reasons dominated in Luxembourg (52.2%) and Sweden (49.1%), while “other reasons”, including international protection, had the highest share in Greece (55.4%). In education, Ireland (48.0%) and France (32.8%) led the way.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2032
Citizens of Ukraine have become the largest group among the recipients of first residence permits in the EU in 2024, according to Eurostat data. According to the EU statistical agency, in 2024 EU countries issued 295.6 thousand first residence permits to Ukrainian citizens, followed by citizens of India (192.4 thousand) and Morocco (188.4 thousand).
Eurostat also indicates that for Ukrainians the most frequent reason for obtaining the first residence permits was employment: 72.5% of permits for Ukrainian citizens in 2024 were issued on labor grounds.
At the same time, Eurostat emphasizes that the above statistics on first residence permits do not include persons who received temporary protection in the EU countries due to the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine – such data are collected separately.
Ukraine currently imports electricity from Europe around the clock at a maximum capacity of 1.6 GW during peak hours, which does not cover the maximum allowable import capacity due to grid restrictions.
This was announced by Anatoliy Zamulko, acting head of the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate of Ukraine (Derzhenergonadzor), on Thursday during the “Yedyni Novyny” telethon.
“The peak part of imports, depending on the situation, is 1.5-1.6 thousand MW, which is not yet the limit allowed to us by contracts with Europe. The only problem that remains today is network restrictions to push that electricity to eastern Ukraine,” he said.
As reported, the maximum agreed commercial capacity for imports from the EU from December 2024 is 2.1 GW. On average, in November 2025, the utilization of transmission capacity was 27.4%, but during peak evening consumption hours, it increases significantly.
“If we had the opportunity to restore that network infrastructure more quickly, we would certainly have much better opportunities to provide energy through imports,” said the head of the State Energy Regulatory Commission.
As he explained, with the current drop in temperature and the onset of frost in Ukraine, there has been an increase in energy consumption. To balance the energy system, transmission system operators (TSOs, regional power companies) together with regional military administrations are freeing up additional capacity for consumers by including facilities that were not previously subject to disconnection in consumption restriction schedules.
“We are fighting to mitigate the drop in temperature in various ways, including one of the effective tools that will be used throughout Ukraine, which is to take into account the facilities that are to be included in the schedules and increase the fairness that is being talked about in terms of distribution,” Zamulko said.
He stressed that the Ukrainian energy sector continues to function as a single entity.
“We remain a unified energy system, working in parallel with Europe, carrying out all transfers in accordance with the agreements reached with our partners, using import capacities and, if necessary, using emergency assistance,” said the head of the State Energy Regulatory Commission.
