“To remind the European Institutions and national decision-makers of the great contribution of families for the society”. This is the mission of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE), and this is what the Federation has done in 2023, as its President, Vincenzo Bassi, recalled in the latest newsletter released today. Together with the issue of the demographic crisis, to which FAFCE has been committed for some years now by stressing the need to make all possible “efforts to address it effectively and in a family-oriented perspective”, the issue of the fragility of young people’s mental health has also been the focus of attention, in the awareness that “families are at the forefront of mental health issues as the most important social factor in preventing and curing” these problems. “Unfortunately, the interests of the family and the proposals made by the European institutions are sometimes at odds with each other”, Mr Bassi said, referring to the European Parenthood Certificate that has just been approved by the European Parliament, which, according to FAFCE, goes against the principle of subsidiarity since it would de facto enable the recognition of parenthood throughout the EU, even in situations such as surrogacy.