AGE intervention at LIBE Hearing on Unblocking the anti-discrimination directive

AGE intervention at LIBE Hearing on Unblocking the anti-discrimination directive

On March 20^th AGE spoke at a hearing in the LIBE Committee on “Unblocking the anti-discrimination directive”. Ms. Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Secretary General gave an intervention focusing on barriers and age limits to access to financial products and the need of EU level legislation in this area. The main conclusions of her intervention are:

• A growing number of Member States see an added value in providing insurance and banking products without age limits.
• With population ageing, new approaches to insurance are needed. More people than ever are living longer, healthier and more active lives. Refusing them products sends harmful ageist message and places unacceptable restrictions on people’s lives.
• Continuing to discriminate against our ageing population is also bad for business. Getting rid of age barriers will mean less administrative costs for industry and a larger market (growing number of older consumers). In the context of recovery from the crisis, it is in the interests of our economies to get rid of barriers to encouraging tourism and consumption.
• Upper age limits should be replaced by other risk controlling mechanisms.

To read a background document on age discrimination on access to financial products you may click on the following link: 

Background document on barriers to access to financial products

Mise à jour le Mercredi, 09 Mai 2012 12:57

COHESION: Council chooses to overlook women and disabilities

Member states have done away with the reference to gender, the fight against discrimination and disabilities in the legislative package on reform of cohesion policy for the next programming period (2014-2020). AGE has joined forces with 7 other social NGOs (the European Anti-Poverty Network, the European Disability Forum, the European Foundations Centre, the European Network Against Racism, ILGA Europe, Social Economy Europe and the European Women's Lobby) to warn the alarm and criticise the general position taken by the Council of the EU, on 24 April, which does away with three ex ante conditions applicable to EU Structural Funds.  They adopted a joint declaration that was sent to the General Affairs Council, urging them to go back on its decision and calling on governments to honour their commitment to promote equality and fight poverty and social exclusion.

For more information, please contact Rachel Buchanan, Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir.

Article on a journalist stepping into an old woman's shoe

 Article from the Times, 28 January 2012

Mise à jour le Samedi, 07 Avril 2012 11:46

Publication dEquinet sur la lutte contre la discrimination sur base de l’âge

Dans le cadre de l’Année européenne 2012, Equinet a sorti une prise de position intitulée « Combattre l'âgisme et la discrimination fondée sur l'âge », qui a un triple objectif :

Le point de vue d’Equinet porte plus précisément sur la situation, l’expérience et la diversité des personnes âgées. Il s’appuie sur les résultats d’une étude, menée également par Equinet, sur le travail des organisations de promotion de l’égalité sur la question de l’âge.

Equinet tire la conclusion que l’Année européenne 2012 doit être l’occasion de faire le point sur les obstacles que dresse l’âgisme à la réalisation des objectifs du vieillissement actif et que les organismes de promotion de l’égalité ont un rôle important à jouer dans ce domaine. Equinet invite également ces organisme à mettre l’accent sur les questions de l’âgisme et la discrimination dans les initiatives développées dans le cadre de cette Année 2012.

Mise à jour le Lundi, 06 Février 2012 18:03