From October 16th to 18th, the European Socialists and Social Democrats will organize a “progressive mobilization” in Amsterdam. This is a crucial gathering for progressives and civil society to tackle the major challenges of our time and to create a shared vision for a fairer, more sustainable future.
ESO will also be present, as the umbrella organization for senior citizens’ organizations that align their actions with social democratic values such as solidarity, equality, respect for fundamental values, and democracy.
On Friday afternoon, October 17th, we will organize a discussion on our proposals for a European senior policy. These proposals were formulated in our election memorandum and our 2024-2029 action program, and further developed in our contributions to the European Commission consultations, including the European Intergenerational Fairness Strategy and the new action plan for implementing the Pillar of Social Rights.
Christel Geerts, professor of gerontology at VUBrussels, President of Solidaris, former senator of Vooruit, and former mayor of Sint Niklaas, will be the keynote speaker. Drawing on her experience with older adults’ policy and the WHO strategy for age-friendly cities and communities, she reflects on what a European seniors’ strategy or an age-equality strategy might entail. How do we make this concrete and what are the conditions for realizing such a policy? This will be followed by a discussion with Idoia Mendia (MEP S&D PSOE), Maciej Kucharczyk (Sec-Gen. AGE-Europe), Jos Bertrand (President ESO), and tbc VP YES. Moderation: FEPS. We have also invited Roxanna Minzatu, vice-president from the European Commission for the coordination of European social policy, to join us in this reflection.
You will find all the necessary information on the “progressive mobilisation from the PES on the PES-website.