In particular, AGE believes that there is a need for a greater recognition and understanding of the impact of European policies on older people who are a large and rapidly growing section of the population. Given the increasing number of policies addressed at EU level which are of direct interest and relevance to them, organised groups of senior citizens and organisations working with older people must have greater opportunities to become actively involved in these important debates to advance their rights and interests. Their direct involvement in the policy-making process will help develop stronger public support for the reforms needed to promote equal opportunities for all and to modernise our social protection systems across the EU to ensure their adequacy and efficiency for future generations.
AGE considers that there is a need to bring about a greater solidarity between the generations. A European Day on Intergenerational Solidarity and an integral event during the ‘light years’ of the bi-annual cycle on demography which takes intergenerational solidarity as its theme would play an important part in raising awareness of the need for such solidarity. It would also increase equity between the generations and promote awareness of the need for policy change towards meeting such an objective.
AGE calls for a new approach to mainstreaming intergenerational solidarity in the renewed Social Agenda. It believes that intergenerational solidarity must become a horizontal objective of the renewed Agenda and the Lisbon Strategy and that older people’s needs and concerns must be mainstreamed into the objectives of both.
The full text of the AGE message to the Spring Summit 2008 is available here.
Mise à jour le Jeudi, 17 Juin 2010 09:42
