Brussels, 25/08/2008 (Agence Europe) - In the future, the European population will remain stable only with the help of immigration, says a report considering the situation in the 27 EU member states, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, that was presented in Berlin on Thursday 21 August. With no immigration, the total population of the EU will fall by 52 million, to around 447 million, by 2050, say the researchers who carried out the study by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development. The report will be published in the magazine GEO in September. Since the 1950s, the EU has only maintained its share of the world population through the accession of new member states. The birth rate in the 27 countries of the EU is low (1.5 children per woman on average), although the situation varies considerably across regions and member states. Countries like Germany and Italy have relatively old and falling populations, especially in peripheral rural areas. However, in France, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries, the total population is increasing. (B.C./transl.rt)