EU Green Paper on Ageing - Toolkit for civil society organisations to respond to the EU consultation - AGE Platform
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AGE Platform Europe
The voice of older persons at EU level
EU Green Paper on Ageing
Toolkit for civil society organisations
to respond to the EU consultation
Version of February 2021
Structure
#1 Overview – what it takes to respond
to an EU public consultation
#2 Why – a few good reasons why your
response to the consultation is important
#3 What – proposal of responses in
align with our vision of ageing for Europe
#4 When, where, how – practicalities
of your response to a public consultation
Credit: Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash
1- Summary
Before: PREPARE During: SUBMIT After: COMMUNICATE
Read the Green Paper Submit your response Promote your key
Attend the webinar in your language messages on your
Download a copy of your website and/or via a
organised on 4 March
press release
with the EU Commission response (PDF format)
Share your web article or
Draft a response to the
press release on social
consultation using (if you
media with the hashtag
wish) suggestions
#AgeingEqual (*)
provided by AGE
Encourage others to do
the same to increase our (*) Hashtags help us keep
critical mass track of your communications
Where can I find the green paper, Mrs. Suica? https://ec.europa.eu/info/files/green- paper-ageing-fostering-solidarity- and-responsibility-between- generations_en The Green Paper is available in the 22 official languages of the EU
2- Why is your response
important?
A bit of context… All views count:
Both in quality and in quantity!
A green paper is a document
published to stimulate discussion. The responses to the consultation will help
acknowledging the importance of the topic.
A public consultation on a green
paper invites interested parties to You are a piece of the puzzle!
give their views on a topic.
You don’t have to respond to all 17 questions
Once the consultation closes, of the consultation. But your point of view
the European Commission will and expertise, even on a few of topics, will
analyse the responses and give help moving forward.
directions for the future.
Interactions between the national and the European level A number of topics in the Green Paper are national or regional competences. Responding to the consultation can reinforce your advocacy effort at national level. For example: Your contribution can build on the work you do at national/regional level. Vice versa, you can use your response to the consultation to provoke a debate at national/regional level or to advocate for a stronger link between the policies developed at EU, national and regional levels. Synergies with other dossiers You can use the content of your contribution for other processes or vice-versa base your contribution on the work done in other fora. For example: The 4th review of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), coordinated by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), will start in 2021 at national level. Each country will submit its report on policies and programmes taken to implement the MIPAA.
3- What can you respond?
This section provides a proposal of response to the
consultation. It is presented in three parts:
The overall spirit of our contribution
Inspiration from AGE vision and mission
Specifics of our responses to the consultation
Hints to address the questions of the consultation
based on previous works bearing in mind our final
contribution is not yet ready!
Beyond the questions: annexes and next steps
Our proposal of follow-up to the Green Paper on Ageing
Our approach
Anchored in AGE vision… Inclusive society for all ages, based on solidarity and cooperation
between generations, where everyone is empowered to participate fully
and enjoy life in full respect of their rights while fulfilling their duties
and responsibilities.
And mission… Celebrating ageing as one of the greatest achievements of the
humankind, we challenge ageism and seek opportunities to allow
everyone to live full lives and age in dignity.
Endorsing the life-course People’s and communities’ health outcomes depend on the interaction of
approach of the WHO… multiple protective and risk factors throughout our lives. Such an
approach recognizes that both past and present experiences are shaped
by the wider social, economic and cultural context one lives in.
And breaking the silos…. A true mainstreaming of ageing issues across EU policies and initiatives
is crucial to embrace the complexity of people’s lives and
environments.
AGE Contribution to the roadmap for the Green Paper on Ageing (Dec. 2020):
https://www.age-platform.eu/policy-work/news/eu-green-paper-ageing-what-should-be
Our hints to answer the questions (1/6)
General advice Be specific and concrete: what can the EU do? What added value can the EU
bring? Do not hesitate to illustrate with examples from your country.
Rights, autonomy We call for a human-rights based approach, to ensure the full and equal
and independence enjoyment of all human rights of everyone. A right to autonomy, independence,
(See Q7, Q8) choice, control and legal capacity should aim to ensure the full, effective and
meaningful participation of older persons in social, cultural, economic, public
and political life and educational and training activities.
General guidelines on a human-rights based approach (Nov. 2020)
AGE Input to the UN Open Ending Working Group on Autonomy and
Independence (Feb. 2019)
Solidarity between Going beyond intergenerational fairness: a new intergenerational contract
is needed to support equality and social justice between and for all generations.
generations
We need to be imaginative and involve people of all ages in reinventing our
(See Q4, Q6, Q9, Q13) world, putting humankind and our planet at the heart of our societies.
Declaration General Assembly (June 2019)
Joint Press Release with European Youth Forum (April 2020)
Joint article with European Youth Forum (Nov. 2020)
Our hints to answer the questions (2/6)
Employment - Full implementation of the EU Employment Equality Directive, fighting
(See Q3, Q4) against ageism in the workplace including in access to training,
intergenerational transfer of knowledge, etc.
- Age-friendly/healthy working conditions
- Attention put to flexible end-of-career opportunities
- Support to informal carers (gender dimension)
AGE work for the 20th anniversary of the Employment Directive (Sept. 2020)
AGE Contribution to the European Semester 2020 (2020)
Life-long learning - Address the obstacles: age discrimination, accessibility in terms of
(See Q2) geographical location/mobility options as well as in terms of format and
content of the learning opportunities (incl. for online learning content), costs.
- Encourage digital training attendance in places where older people live,
incl. but not limited to long-term care services or public libraries.
AGE contribution to the EU Digital Education Plan (Oct. 2020)
AGE Input to UN Open Ending Working Group on Education, life-long learning,
training and capacity building (Feb. 2019)Our hints to answer the questions (3/6)
Poverty, adequate - Proposing a Framework for universal access to the accrual of
income, and pensions pension rights, including for men and women, self-employed, and persons
(See Q10, Q11, Q12) in new forms of employment following these EU Council Conclusions
- Continue Pension Adequacy Reports as performed by the EU Commission
- Follow-up on the recommendations of the high-level group on
supplementary pensions whose final report was released in Dec. 2019
- Issue a Recommendation on Social Protection and Services for Informal
Carers to support their income protection and pension rights
- Develop reference budgets using baskets of goods and services adapted
to specific sub-groups; reference budgets should also take account of non-
monetary aspects, such as access to health and long-term care services,
education and long-life learning, decent housing, leisure and social activities
or civic participation
- Refer to the relative poverty threshold to debate minimum incomes
AGE contribution to the European Pillar of Social Rights (Nov. 2020)
AGE Barometer 2019 – Chapter on Adequate income (2019)
AGE Contribution to the Pension Adequacy Report (2018)
European Minimum Income Network (Project, 2013-2014)Our hints to answer the questions (4/6)
Long-term care - Agree on EU-wide quality and access indicators for LTC and support
(See Q13, Q14) - Set compulsory access targets, similarly to the Barcelona targets adopted
in childcare in 2002 to measure progress in access to LTC and support
- Develop strategies for the implementation of integrated care,
meaning within and between health and social care services.
- Introduce measures to support informal carers, including support and
respite services (+ income protection, see previous slide)
- Bind Member States to improve working conditions in the care sector
- Enforce existing regulations on care quality in the running of private
for-profit care services, incl. assessing the possibilities for action at EU level
- Put forward a legislative initiative for the convergence of Member
States in the field of care, scrutinized via both a specific monitoring
framework as well as via the European Semester and its social scoreboard
- Ensure that earmarked investments in long-term care are included
within the EU funding instruments, notably the Recovery and Resilience
Facility, the future European Social Fund+ and the EU4Health Programme
and aligned with EU policy objectives and legislative proposal.
AGE contribution to the European Pillar of Social Rights (Nov. 2020)Our hints to answer the questions (5/6)
Social isolation - Recognise and adequately address the differences… (1) between social
and loneliness and emotional loneliness; and (2) between social isolation and exclusion
(See Q16) - Address the various risk factors of loneliness and social isolation by
proposing a structural and multi-level approach
- Involve isolated persons when defining a tailor-made support, so that
they have ownership of the process and contribute from their perspective
- Introduce proofing against loneliness to enhance the overall coherence
of policy making, its actions and interventions, e.g. what would be the
impact of deinstitutionalisation toward community-based care or
dematerialisation/digitalisation of local services
- Adopt a life-cycle approach to understand how exclusion evolves across
the life span and assess the causes and implications of old-age exclusion
- Ensure synergies between institutional, professional and voluntary
actors and all levels of intervention – successful strategies to fight old-age
loneliness require a coordinated and forward-looking approach
AGE-ROSEnet Seminar on reducing old-age social exclusion (April 2019)Our hints to answer the questions (6/6)
Healthy Ageing Adding life to years by ensuring smooth cooperation between States, the EU
(See Q1) and the UN during the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030).
Age-friendly Enabling physical and digital environments are crucial to support
autonomy and independence. AGE supports the WHO age-friendly approach.
environments:
- Accessibility through design-for-all: the UN Convention of the Rights of
- accessibility,
Persons with Disabilities, ratified by the EU and its Member States, applies to
- digitalisation,
mobility, the built environment (incl. outdoor spaces, housing, etc.), and
- mobility,
access to services (incl. online). Enforcement of EU law and development of
- housing accessibility standards is key to make inclusive environments a reality.
(See Q7, Q15, Q17) - Mobility is essential to enable participation and social inclusion (refer to
concepts of door to door, link with air pollution and shift to public transport).
- Housing must adapt across life for people to remain active in their
community; innovations can help to design alternatives to residential care,
prevent energy poverty and tackle the climate crisis.
AGE response to EU consultation on passengers’ rights (2017)
AGE summary on the climate crisis and older people (2019)
Report of the Homes4Life Project (2020)Beyond the questionnaire: our proposal
In addition to our responses, we will call on the European Commission to give a
follow-up with a White Paper. And our plan is to attach a concrete suggestion :
proposal for an EU Age Equality Strategy
Why such proposal? To change the narrative around ageing and show how to apply
a rights-based approach into practice
To make the best of the current political momentum
(incl. Key reports and statements at EU and UN level following the
impact of COVID-19, EU Council Conclusion of October 2020 of the
rights and participation of older people in the digital era, Trio
Presidency Declaration of December 2020 on Ageing, etc.)
To ensure coherence in the way ageing is addressed across EU
policies (mainstreaming) and a meaningful coordination with other
EU equality strategies (e.g. Gender Equality Strategy, Disability Rights
Strategy, LGBTIQ Equality strategy, Victims’ Rights Strategy, etc.)Draft outline for an EU Age Equality Strategy 1. Ageism and non-discrimination 2. Participation 3. Employment and skills 4. Adequate income 5. Health and long-term care 6. Mainstreaming and coordination within and between EU bodies 7. International agenda For each of these seven sections, we aim at proposing concrete actions the EU could set up based on existing policy positions of AGE. A very first draft version is available here and will be further developed and adapted during the next two months.
Additional AGE key ressources • [All topics] AGE Manifesto for the European elections 2019 • [All Topics] AGE Barometer (Editions 2019 and 2020) • [Ageing and Gender] Joint statement to improve status of older women in Europe and worldwide (2021) • [Ageing and Disability] AGE contribution for the EU Disability Rights Strategy (2020) • [COVID-19] Recovery report (June 2020) and Impact on Human Rights report (May 2020) • [Digital literacy] DIGITOL report and AGE Response to the EU Consultation on Digital Education (2020)
4- When, where, how
can you respond?
WHEN WHERE HOW
Consultation opened: Online See technical guidance
27 January 2021 https://ec.europa.eu/info/la at the end of the PowerPoint
Consultation closes: w/better-regulation/have- (possible to respond in
21 April 2021 your-say/initiatives/12722- your national language)
Green-Paper-on-Ageing1/ Access the public consultation… and choose your language https://ec.europa.eu/info/l aw/better-regulation/have- your-say/initiatives/12722- Green-Paper-on-Ageing
2/ Scroll down until you see this yellow button
3/ Scroll down AGAIN until you see this other yellow button
4/ Login with an ECAS account (it is not possible to respond without it) Option 1 You already have an ECAS account Option 2 You need to create an ECAS account (*) (*) for any technical support, do not hesitate to contact Julia julia.wadoux@age-platform.eu
You now REALLY have access to the consultation!
5/ Download a PDF if you want to have the questionnaire in a single file to share with others for example 6/ Save a draft if you want to work in several steps without loosing content
7/ Scroll down to choose the language of your response
8/ For each question, you have max. 2500 characters, spaces included (more or less half a page). The system is smart and will let you know if your answer is too long!
9/ Do not forget to attach an annex (one file only)
10/ Submit and download a PDF copy of your submission
Thanks for responding! Do not forget to share your contribution with #AgeingEqual and with AGE Secretariat Contact person: Julia.Wadoux@age-platform.eu
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AGE work is co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union. The contents of this document
are the sole responsibility of AGE Platform Europe and cannot be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.You can also read
