PRESS RELEASE Brussels, 18 June 2010 (français en bas)
Conclusions from the European Council, 17 June 2010
‘Europe 2020’ – a step in the right direction but will it help the EU address its demographic challenge in a fair and sustainable way?
The adoption by the European Council of ‘Europe 2020’ strategy on 17 June is a clear attempt to move the EU out of the crisis, but it remains to be seen if all Member States will have the necessary political will to work together to turn the strategy into tangible progress for all citizens. AGE Platform Europe welcomes Member States’ agreement on the headline targets on employment and poverty reduction but Member States now have to prove that this new growth and employment strategy will bring benefits to people of all ages.
“We hope that when implementing the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy, Member States will pay due attention to address the deterioration that many older people face in their daily life today. AGE members expect innovative measures to be adopted to support the employment of older workers wishing to remain in or to re-enter the labour market and to promote active ageing. At the same time, the ongoing pension reforms must preserve the adequacy of income in old age, paying particular attention to the most vulnerable seniors such as older women or very old persons, to prevent older people from falling into poverty. All these actions will be crucial because many drastic cuts are being announced across the EU which will have a direct impact on older people’s well being, quality of life and dignity”, says Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Director.
To achieve the overall targets on employment activation and poverty reduction, Member States should break their national targets into age and gender groups. It is necessary to ensure that ‘Europe 2020’ will effectively respond to the challenges faced by all population groups, in particular youth, older people and women. Specific sub-groups such as older women, single older persons, older people in rural areas, older people from ethnic minority communities, older migrants etc. must be taken into account when the national targets are set up.
The Council’s commitment to ensure financial sustainability through a reinforced EU regulation and supervision of financial markets is another key outcome AGE members welcome and support. “Indeed, long-term adequacy of pensions can only be guaranteed if an EU supervision and regulatory mechanism is set in place to control financial markets and citizens trust needs to be rebuilt now”, added Anne-Sophie Parent
Looking at the governance method to implement ‘Europe 2020’, AGE members reiterate their call upon the national governments to renew and further strengthen the Open Method of Coordination on pensions, social inclusion and health and long-term care. The method’s existing instruments such as peer reviews or thematic focuses should be completed by the introduction of a cross-policy social impact assessment based on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to guide EU action toward the agreed social objectives and to reassure citizens that the EU is caring about their well being and social cohesion. The Social OMC and all actions carried out under ‘Europe 2020’ growth and employment strategy should be mutually supportive.
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