In 2019 we ran a very active campaign to support the reestablishment of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Demographic Change and Solidarity between Generations. But despite our efforts, this Intergroup of the European Parliament dealing with ageing issues has not been reestablished.
We are disappointed that the European Parliament has not considered the joint proposal we made, together with COFACE-Families Europe, for a pluralistic intergroup on issues related to demographic change, including ageing and family issues. Our proposal gathered support from around 50 Members of European Parliament (MEPs) from five different political groups, and was meant to support the European Parliament in addressing Europe’s demographic challenges in a forward-looking and inclusive way, reflecting the aspirations of millions of citizens of all ages and in line with EU fundamental values.
Instead of our intergroup proposal, an alternative proposal named ‘Intergroup on demographic challenges, family-work balance and youth transitions’ has been approved with the support of only one party of the political centre. This Intergroup proposes actions based on a traditional vision of family which is not in line with our common vision for building inclusive European societies.
AGE had been closely working for many years now with the successive Intergroups dealing with ageing and intergenerational solidarity. We had always managed to maintain a privileged relationship with the Intergroup to make further progress to adapt Europe to population ageing. This cooperation has helped us advance on many EU dossiers relevant to older persons.
We will now continue building upon the very good and strong contacts we have developed all along our campaign to create an informal cross-party Interest Group of MEPs and pursue our constructive work within the European Parliament.
For more information on our work with the European Parliament, you may contact Philippe Seidel, philippe.seidel@age-platform.eu
