Portuguese AGE Member APRe! met with Portuguese MEPs to introduce and seek support for the proposal to establish the ‘A Europe for All Ages’ Intergroup.
A delegation from AGE’s Portuguese member, APRe! – the Portuguese Association of Pensioners and Retirees, consisting of four board members: Maria do Rosário Gama, José João Lucas, Jorge Fernandes, and Anabela Paixão, along with Teresa Martins, the external consultant for the SeFTI (Sowing a Future for All Ages) project, was welcomed by Portuguese Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) at the European Parliament (EP) on November 14, 2024.
The main goal of this visit to the EP was to introduce and gain support for the proposal to create the Intergroup ‘A Europe for All Ages,’ launched by AGE Platform Europe. While the proposal had the support of a group of 30 MEPs, no Portuguese MEPs had supported it prior to the meetings.
Meetings were held with 5 MEPs elected by Portugal – João Oliveira (by the Portuguese Communist Party – Left Group in the EP – GUE/NGL); Sebastião Bugalho and Paulo Cunha (by the Social Democratic Party – Group of the European People’s Party – Christian Democrats in the EP); Marta Temido (by the Socialist Party – Group of the Progressive Alliance of the Socialists and Democrats in the EP); Catarina Martins (by the Left Bloc – Left Group in the EP- GUE/NGL) .
The Manifesto presented by AGE Platform Europe at the time of the EP elections guided the proposal to create the Intergroup as well as the demands presented by APRe! as a member of AGE Platform Europe.
Marta Temido and Catarina Martins immediately supported the Intergroup’s proposal. Sebastião Bugalho and Paulo Cunha made a commitment to appoint one of PSD’s elected MEPs to join the support group. MEP João Oliveira (PCP) declared his agreement with the issues underpinning the creation of this Intergroup and would look into the possible ways of supporting it.
Following these talks, further meetings have been scheduled in Portugal, to deepen the discussion on the issues covered by the Manifesto, with MEPs Catarina Martins and Marta Temido, to be held in December. Follow-up meetings with MEPs João Oliveira and Sebastião Bugalho have been scheduled for a later date.
AGE Manifesto Presented Across Portuguese Cities
As part of the SeFTI Project – Sowing a Future for All Ages, developed by our Portuguese member APRe!, several debate sessions titled “The Europe We Want Is for All Ages” were held in the Portuguese cities of Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, and Faro. These sessions showcased the AGE Manifesto to a broad audience, fostering discussions and raising critical awareness about the challenges faced by older adults in Portugal, particularly regarding their fundamental rights. They also highlighted the potential of older people as valuable contributors to our society.
Press Mentions
The Portuguese newspapers Diário de Coimbra and Notícias de Coimbra highlighted the APRe! debate sessions.
The EP visit, preceded by a meeting at AGE headquarters the day before with three members of the secretariat – Ilenia Gheno, Milene Moreira and Philippe Seidel -, as well as the follow-up meetings and the debate sessions held in Portugal are all part of the SeFTI (Sowing a Future for All Ages) project co-funded by AGE Platform Europe through the Regranting Scheme 2024 (Financial Support to AGE Members) under the CERV – Citizens Equality Rights and Values Programme 2024.
Contact
Philippe Seidel Leroy
Policy Manager on Social Protection and European Parliament
Sarah Loriato
Policy Officer on Employment and Participation, EP Liaison Officer
