This should be the (missing) third cornerstone underpinning an effective strategy for intergenerational solidarity and fairness in addition to the (already existing) European Child guarantee and the European Youth Strategy and Guarantee.
A European Senior Strategy with a European care guarantee as third cornerstone for a European intergenerational solidarity/fairness strategy based on a human rights approach and with legally binding instruments against age discrimination and against agism.
ESO has drafted his first contribution in the Commissions consultation on the European Intergenerationnal Fairness and solidarity strategy:
- This strategy should aim at promoting solidarity between generations: young people, seniors and people who are unable to claim their rights (such as children and future generations). A connection between past, present and future: older people who have learned from the past and from this experience want to help shape the future as full citizens in the present; young people who look forward to their future, who should be able to enjoy the fundamental rights acquired in the past and therefore also want to have a say in decision-making about their future; and children and future generations who do not yet have a say in this themselves.
- A European strategy for intergenerational solidarity should focus on three target groups (children, youth, seniors). As there already exist a strategy for protection from children defined in the Child-guarantee, and a European Youth strategy and guarantee, it should be logical and consistent to create a “European senior strategy” that mainstreams attention to older persons interest in different policy areas, as a third cornerstone for the building for this European intergenerational fairness/solidarity strategy. Therefore, ESO’s first demand in the European Intergenerational solidarity/fairness strategy will be: a European senior strategy that among other things includes a European care guarantee for access to care and healthcare for all generations. It is an analogy with SURE that was set up in unemployment during the COVID19-crisis; the care guarantee should concern elderly-care and longtime care and also include childcare.
- This European senior strategy will concern different policy-area’s (we are looking to another international instrument as already exist by WHO: the WHO action programme for age-friendly cities and communities). In analogy with WHO, the strategy should concern different policy-areas, but the European strategy should be based on a right-based approach on ageing. We propose to consider following policy areas : income; end of career/education/employment; access to care and healthcare; access to services (including financial services) / digitalisation; age-friendly habitat (housing and public spaces-planning in rural and urban environments); mobility; full participation (politics, social/cultural, economic) (note that digitalisation is a big burden for participation and widens the gap between the generations).
- ESO urges for a horizontal equal treatment directive against discrimination, including the ground of age and an action plan against ageism.
- These strategies can only be successful if provision is made for the necessary resources to implement and monitor these strategies, both financially (MFF and EU-budget) and in terms of human resources, for preparation, implementation and monitoring the strategies.
- “Nothing about us, without us !” Talking about senior policies and intergenerational solidarity, ESO pleads for full recognition of all target groups concerned as full-citizens. We notice that the Commissions department responsible for the strategy is the DG on education, youth, sport and culture and does not concern ageing or senior-policy. We notice also that seniors (because they are mostly not-longer in professional statutes) are not present in many – most informal but – very important networks involved in the definition of policies of their concern. Therefore, ESO is demanding full and active participation of civil society in the elaboration of these strategies, and in particular senior-organisation as AGE-Europe platform who organises most European, national and regional senior-organisations.
Brussels, June, 6 2025
You can find our first contribution in the Commissions consultation here
“Nothing about us without us !” You can react on our contribution, add your comment or your proper contribution on the commissions website here