Contact us T +32 (0)2 626 07 20 | info@europeangreens.eu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Flickr

Donate

  • Login to your account
  • User account
  • About Us
    • Organisation
    • People
    • Networks and Working Groups
    • Guidelines
  • Our Positions
    • Positions
    • Resolutions
    • Policy Papers
    • Manifesto
  • Member Parties
  • News
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Brand Assets
    • Communications Team
  • Events
Home
  • About Us
  • Our Positions
  • Member Parties
  • News
  • Events
  • Positions
    • Foreign and Security Policy
    • Europe and Democracy
    • Climate and Energy
    • Economy and Jobs
    • Human Rights and Migration
    • Social Justice and Health
    • Environment and Food
  • Resolutions
  • Policy Papers
  • Manifesto

On Strengthening the Pillar of Social Rights: an age perspective

Share
Share on FacebookShare on Twittershare on Linked Inshare on Google Plusshare via email

EGP Resolution adopted at Liverpool Congress, 30 March-2 April 2017 (available to download in .pdf in EN, DE, ES, FR, IT)

In Europe, life expectancy has increased, generation after generation. This is good news. The problem is not that people age, but how they age. This is not just determined by biology. It is determined by healthy or unhealthy lifestyles, wealth or poverty, and lack of dignity or respect for senior rights. As our societies are growing older, seniors should be able to enjoy their old age in decent conditions and fully participate in society.

The challenges are steep: The working age population is falling throughout Europe, while the number of people aged over 60 is now increasing twice as fast as it did before, and unemployment remains too high in many European countries.

All of this happens at a time when considerable demand for social services remains unserved which is even worsened by the current drive for government spending austerity.

Both decision makers and citizens will have to shape new avenues in terms of life-long education, conditions governing the transition from working age to retirement, the funding of pension systems, but also on solutions that enable our senior citizens to live longer at home, in their communities of choice.

More than ever, we, Greens, find it necessary to strengthen the social dimension of the EU.

Therefore, the European Green Party demands: 

Chapter 1: Ageing population and employment

•        To make ageing workers a specific focus group in the employment targets, as was the case in the Lisbon strategy - to enable ageing workers to work until retirement age if they can and wish so.

•        To develop guidelines for job search services that take into account the needs of older workers;

•        To fight stereotypes and discrimination by more adequately implementing the Employment equality directive, and by strengthening the promotion of diversity in the workforce;

•        To adopt the Horizontal Directive on the principle of equal treatment and make funding available to communicate the value of the directive, especially in fighting ageism, to further support the paradigm shift towards valuing all ages;

•        To protect older workers in restructuring cases by intensifying training and placement assistance for those being made redundant, regardless of age;

•        To adapt the workplace to workers of all ages by strengthening the preventive approach in occupational health and safety rules and by including all risks, including psycho-social and emerging risk in occupational health and safety regulations; strengthen the EU-OSHA campaign on healthy workplaces for all ages and exchange practices between member states on how to support the adaptation of workplaces to Europe’s ageing workforce;

•        To specifically focus on older workers in the development and promotion of life-long learning, such as in the EU Skills Agenda; harmonise rules and access to skills validation;

•        To bring different employment relationships, such as employment and self-employment, closer together in the acquiring of social protection rights and make the statutes more compatible;

•        To mandate public employment agencies to intervene in the management of the transition from work into retirement; allow for flexible retirement pathways where reduced working hours can be combined with part-time pensions, without losing out on pension rights;

  • To introduce measures that will establish solidarity between generations, with young people benefiting from the accumulated knowledge and experience of older people and vice-versa.

Chapter 2: Ageing population and income

•        To pay special attention to safeguarding or restoring the equity function of social security pensions in pension reforms; strengthen gender equality by recommending to create care credits in pension schemes, at the same time as developing quality long-term care services and facilitating work-life balance for carers;

•        To introduce a link between retirement age and the ‘healthy life years’ indicator. This would create an additional incentive for member states to invest in preventive health and health promotion, as well as strong occupational health and safety rules; ageing people should not only be seen as productive factor for the labour market and get all preventive health offers and health promotion.

•        To allow workers with disabilities to retire with a disability pension or an equivalent, rather than to force them to stay in the labour market and to use up unemployment benefits;

•        To table a European Framework Directive on Minimum Income Schemes to create benchmarks based on reference budgets and median equivalised income and which address the challenge of non-take up of minimum income; take into account recommendations in setting an old-age minimum income. 

Chapter 3: Ageing population and housing

•        To adopt the European Accessibility Act and the horizontal equal treatment directive; 

•        To make sure that elderly can live in adapted and accessible housing that fits their needs. These adaptations and new constructions should be available at an accessible price to ensure older people can stay independent for as long as they wish. 

Related downloads:
AttachmentSize
PDF icon EN78.45 KB
PDF icon DE100.1 KB
PDF icon ES79.35 KB
PDF icon FR94.82 KB
PDF icon IT97.9 KB
Position:
Social Justice & Health

Recent News

Icon:
Title:

Our vision of the Conference on the Future of Europe

Post date:
31 March 2021
Body:

After months of negotiations, an agreement was eventually found between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council to start the Conference on the Future of Europe. 

We welcome this long-waited outcome and are now putting all our efforts in making the Conference a successful democratic process that delivers change and drives Europe closer to its citizens.

Icon:
Title:

Climate Action - For the people and the planet

Post date:
19 March 2021
Body:
The EGP is committed to driving climate action towards climate neutrality -- in line with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5C. As Greens, we believe that climate action should support Europe’s recovery and help reset us on a path towards a resilient, fair future. Greens are already leading this fight all over Europe and we intend to keep it up.

Learn more about the campaign and check out the action at https://europeangreens.eu/climate-action/


Icon:
Title:

2021 New Year's Reception as a gift of culture

Post date:
28 January 2021
Short title:
2021 New Year's Reception as a gift of culture
Body:

On Wednesday 27 January, members and friends of the European Green Party convened for a virtual New Year's Reception. Traditionally organised in Brussels and gathering mostly local supporters, this year we hosted our Green family from all over Europe. The reception was an opportunity to take stock of the year 2020 in all its unprecedented ways, but also celebrate our green successes. Our host was the talented Polish activist Michał Suchora who navigated through our virtual event taking place in both Brussels and Warsaw. 

More News

Follow us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Flickr
Tweet Contents:

RT @GreenPartyMolly: For somebody my age this is indeed depressingly familiar

We know how rapidly violence can escalate in Northern Irelan…

Tweet Author:
europeangreens
Creation Date:
1 day ago
Tweet Contents:

RT @EamonRyan: Fully supportive of our Northern colleagues and the role they are playing in protecting the Good Friday Agreement . More tha…

Tweet Author:
europeangreens
Creation Date:
1 day ago
Tweet Contents:

RT @ClareBaileyGPNI: Today is the day we need to re commit to the full delivery and implementation of the #Belfast #GFA in all its parts, w…

Tweet Author:
europeangreens
Creation Date:
1 day ago

Sign up to our newsletter

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Fill in the blank.

Change Europe, donate Green

Chip in today to help us build a Greener Europe!

Donate

  • Organisation
    • About
    • History
    • Councils
    • Congresses
    • Finance Advisory Board
    • Amendments Committee
    • Conciliation Panel
  • People
    • Committee
    • Team
    • Vacancies
    • Traineeships
  • Networks and Working Groups
    • Networks
      • Balkan
      • Gender
      • tilt!
      • Queer
      • Local Councillors
      • Seniors
    • Working Groups
      • Foreign and Security Policy
      • Future of Europe
      • Trade
  • Guidelines
    • Charter
    • Statutes
    • Rulebook
    • Finances
    • Privacy Policy
  • Our Positions
    • Positions
    • Resolutions
    • Policy Papers
    • Manifesto
  • Member Parties
  • News
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Brand Assets
    • Communications Team
  • Events
  • Campaigns
    • tilt!
    • 2019 EU election campaign
  • Donate
Home

Rue du Taciturne 34

B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

T +32 (0) 2 626 07 20

info@europeangreens.eu

© European Greens - With the financial support of the European Parliament. Sole liability remains with the author.

cookies