PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 5 November 2013
Launch of AGE Platform Europe Manifesto for the European elections 2014
AGE EP Manifesto suggests measures for a fair and sustainable Age-Friendly EU
Today, ahead of the European Parliament’s elections in 2014, AGE Platform Europe is holding an event at the European Parliament to launch its Manifesto for the EU elections and call for the creation of an Age-Friendly European Union.
“AGE Platform Europe’s Manifesto for the 2014 elections is about making pledges that will challenge entrenched prejudices faced by older people, who make an incredibly valuable contribution to our society”, declares MEP Claude Moraes, Co-Chair of the Intergroup on Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, hosting the event. “This manifesto launch is about making sure we don’t forget their needs.”
The event is the occasion to officially present AGE Manifesto for the European elections 2014, to hear reactions from the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as to engage in a constructive debate with older citizens. AGE has also published a blog “Towards an Age-friendly European Parliament”, as a comprehensive and interactive tool to raise awareness about and discuss issues of concern for older Europeans in the upcoming elections.
AGE members regard the development of age-friendly environments across the EU as an effective, fair and sustainable response to the current economic and social crisis and the rapid demographic change. AGE Manifesto therefore suggests a series of measures to support the creation of an Age-Friendly European Union through the promotion of supportive environments in all areas of society. We believe those environments would facilitate citizens’ participation to society whatever their age, e.g. in fostering older people’s access to quality care, housing, transport, built environment, employment, goods and services, etc.
This will require decision-makers and all relevant stakeholders to take collective responsibility for designing new ways of organising our societies in order to empower everyone to fulfill and use his/her potential for both their own well-being and the benefit of all.
The new European Parliament that will be elected in May 2014 will have the power to contribute concretely to the creation of an Age-Friendly European Union. Therefore, we call on the candidate MEPs to campaign for a Europe for all ages and take all necessary measures once in office to ensure that EU policies and initiatives will:
- Promote equal opportunities and the realisation of human rights for all
- Guarantee the adequacy, fairness and sustainability of Europe’s social and health protection systems
- Ensure universal access to goods and services, in particular to the built environment, ICT, mobility and public services
- Support the right to grow and age in good mental and physical health
- Create age-friendly labour markets and economy
- Involve older persons in all policy and research processes that concern them
- Protect the right for all to live and die in dignity
The aim of this Manifesto is to convey AGE members’ expectations ahead of the EP elections and encourage European seniors to go to the polls, since, as Marjan Sedmak, AGE President, highlights at the EP event “87 percent of the EU citizens agree with the statement that the EU needs additional tools for the defense of human rights. There is a huge amount of work in this field for the next EP. But the EP can draw its weight and credibility only from the mandate given by EU citizens’ participation at elections.”
AGE Platform Europe also calls for the re-establishment of the Intergroup on Ageing and Solidarity between Generations to order to keep these issues high on the European Parliament’s agenda after 2014.
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Useful links
- AGE Manifesto for the European elections 2014: www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/EN/AGE_EP_Manifesto_Nov2013.pdf
- AGE blog “Towards an Age-friendly European Parliament”: https://towardsanagefriendlyep.com/
- Intergroup on Ageing and Solidarity between Generations: www.age-platform.eu/age-and-the-eu-institutions/european-parliament/intergroup-on-ageing-and-intergenerational-solidarity
