Towards a European Silver Deal?

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AGE Vice President, Heidrun Mollenkopf, participated in the launching event of the ESPON Conference Week on Ageing “Adapting European Cities to Population Ageing: Policy Challenges and Best Practices”. The event raised the idea of a European Silver Deal.


Together with AGE Platform Europe, Eurocities, Greater Manchester Combined Authority/Greater Manchester Ageing Hub and the World Health Organisation, ESPON organised an online conference week about population ageing to discuss key issues around population ageing in cities. The event also presented the results of the ACPA (Adapting Cities to Population Ageing) project covering eight cities in six countries (France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK).

EPSON-confWeek-Nov20-Suica2 Vice-President Šuica opened the event and insisted on how much where we live also impacts how we age:

“It is vital that cities can be a shining example of intergenerational solidarity and inclusiveness”.

She also reacted positively to the idea launched by ESPON to have a Silver Deal, like there is a Green Deal, at European Level. And explained how the forthcoming initiatives, like the Green Paper on Ageing and the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, will be key milestones to support longer lives in better health.

Then the different speakers highlighted key elements related to population ageing in cities:

  • Paul Mc Garry speaking as lead stakeholder of ACPA, shared his citizen based model of ageing and explained how much creating an age-friendly city is dependent on creating an integrated approach.
  • Erik Van Ossenbruggen provided an overview of the ACPA Project and shared the main recommendation drawn with the project partners to develop cities that are better adapted to ageing: ambition with long-term strategy, learning as a key dimension, flexibility to answer new issues like digitalisation, more positive discourse on ageing, outreach from the local to the EU level.
  • Prof. Christopher Phillipson underlined how much collaboration is vital to consider interaction between ageism, racism and sexism for example, but also to for a joint approach of smart, sustainable, healthy and age-friendly cities.
  • Manfred Huber explained about the work carried out by WHO Europe on age-friendly environments and the forthcoming Decade of Healthy Ageing, which will be an opportunity to strengthen collaborations.
  • Dr. Heidrun Mollenkopf’s speech focused on opportunities and challenges for older people, insisting on the importance of availability and accessibility, but also of learning opportunities and rights’ protection.

Contact person: Julia Wadoux, Julia.wadoux@age-platform.eu

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