The overall objective of AGE Barometer is to publish every year an assessment of the socio-economic situation of older people across the EU and how this situation underpins the respect of their human rights. Annual assessments will be linked to the monitoring of key policy processes at EU and national levels in regards to ageing, such as the EU Pillar of Social Rights, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA).
Each new edition of AGE Barometer will be used by members at national level and the secretariat at EU level as an advocacy tool, providing evidence on how the social realities and the respect of human rights in old age evolve in different countries. Our intention is not to make a classification of member states, but to provide a concise overview on how various reforms and legislations relating to ageing succeed in improving the quality of life in old age.
Content
- Qualitative data: Your feedback gathered at national level – for further details on what is expected from you, please see below the questionnaire. Members will be also asked to provide any relevant illustration and evidence on realities of older people e.g. real-life situations, testimonies etc.
- Quantitative data: EU statistics available for cross-country comparisons, for example SHARE and EU-SILC, EU Social Scoreboard etc. in key domains e.g. employment of 50+, income adequacy, health conditions etc. They will be collected and screened by secretariat in order to underpin findings gathered from members
Methodology
The reference point for AGE Barometer is the European Pillar of Social Rights and its 18 principles (out of 20) which are relevant to older people. Moreover when assessing how national reforms and legislations in place reflect the principles set in the EU Pillar of Social Rights (Pillar), we will also look at other relevant policy processes i.e. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the implementation of national governments’ engagements taken in the framework of the MIPAA. Important synergies exist between all those processes and it is important to link them all to AGE Barometer so that older people and their rights are fully part of these processes.
The structure of annual assessment which will feed AGE Barometer is built around 18 key domains – please see the table below. Each domain is connected to corresponding principles from the Pillar of Social Rights, SDGs and MIPAA commitments. However in order to facilitate our annual exercise, it is proposed that each year only 5 to 6 key domains will be monitored and assessed. This should facilitate members’ task of providing feedback from national level. After a cycle of three years (each annual assessment based on 6 new domains), a fourth year will be dedicated to cross-cutting analysis and formulation of policy recommendations.
