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15 MARCH 2012
AGE THEMATIC SEMINAR on age-friendly labour market and social protection systems
Committee of the Regions
Bâtiment Jacques Delors
Rue Belliard 99-101
B – 1040 Brussels – Belgium
A report of the event can be read here
This thematic seminar is the first of a series of three that AGE will organise at the Committee of the Regions to mark the European Year 2012 for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. Please see below the final programme, background note and presentation of panellists:
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AGE thematic seminar will bring together AGE experts, guest speakers and external stakeholders interested in the issue of active ageing in employment and reforms of social protection systems. The objective is to gather opinions and proposals from participants and feed them into policy debate at EU and national levels in relation to the implementation of the European Year 2012.
Achieving a society for all ages will require decision makers and all relevant stakeholders to take collective responsibility for designing new ways of organising our societies to ensure a fairer and more sustainable future for all generations. We believe that the current demographic change is a key opportunity for everyone to work together to create an Age-Friendly European Union by 2020.
Creating an Age-Friendly European Union means fostering solidarity between generations and enabling the active participation and involvement of all age groups in society while providing them with adequate support and protection. The seminar will look in particular on how every age will benefit from the creation of an Age-Friendly European through:
- Positive attitude to ageing that recognises the value of all age groups’ identities and contribution to society;
- Inclusive labour market that ensures the participation in paid work of younger and older people, including those with disabilities or chronic conditions, supports the intergenerational knowledge transfer and enables workers to both maintain their health and reconcile their work and private lives;
- Social protection systems based on intra- and inter-generational solidarity that prevent and alleviate poverty, guarantee adequacy of old-age income and sustainability of pension schemes for both current and future generations, ensure access to quality social and healthcare services across the life course and support informal carers;
Active ageing and intergenerational solidarity are key aspects in the EU’s growth and jobs strategy for this decade – Europe 2020. Its aim is to deliver smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. This will not be possible without the development and implementation of new solutions to address the demographic changes taking place in our societies. The Committee of Regions is closely following these policy developments and cooperates with AGE Platform European on mobilising both stakeholders and the existing financial resources at local level to implement the objective of active ageing.
For more information, please contact Maciej Kucharczyk , maciej.kucharczyk@age-platform.eu or Rachel Buchanan, rachel.buchanan@age-platform.eu
Henry Lourdelle’ Written interview (in French) for March 2012 Special Briefing
