AGE Manifesto for the 2024 European Parliament elections

Introduction

Why this document?

In Spring 2024, you and all the citizens of the European Union will elect the members of the European Parliament. This election is more crucial: it is the start of a new term for the European Parliament and the European Commission (2024-2029) in the complex context at European and global levels. Based on the results of the elections, the Member States and the Parliament will designate the President of the European Commission who will then present a work programme and allocate the policy portfolio among the Commissioners.

We aim at launching a campaign early 2024 to influence the candidates to the elections and subsequently the work programme of the next European Commission. Our Manifesto is at the heart of this campaign.

What is it about?

Our Manifesto builds on the work we did with you around the Green Paper on Ageing and more specifically on the proposal for a European Age Equality Strategy. It is meant to be concise and concrete to attract candidates and enable you, using it during the campaign.

Consultation process

The document has been drafted by AGE Secretariat; it has been shared and discussed with the Executive Committee during our last meeting.

Our goal is to adopt this manifesto during the next General Assembly (8-9 June). To ease the process, we would like to collect your proposals on this draft ahead of the General Assembly in June. To do so, you can send them by 22 May end of the day:

• either via e-mail – contact person: Julia Wadoux, [email protected]
• or directly include your comments/proposals via in this Google Document: or directly include your comments/proposals via this Google Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tgjhAtJTnkuaL5KMwmCugBXtV-IjNRYc/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112988601415711384886&rtpof=true&sd=true

While doing so, please bear in mind that we want to keep no longer than 2 pages and to make our proposals as concrete as possible.

Then we will merge your proposals and share the new version with you ahead of the General Assembly. After final approval by the General Assembly, we will work on a catchy layout and share it with you.  

Text of the Manifesto

The Europe we want is for all ages

We are all ageing. The majority of children born in the EU today can expect to live to more than 100 years[1]. Longevity is an achievement; but unless we reshape how our societies view and address ageing, we will all miss the opportunities of longer lives.

We are all ageing, but inequalities persist. Barriers we encounter across our lifespan influence how we age. Unless we adopt a life course approach, we will all face multiple inequalities when we are old.

We are all ageing, but ageism prevents us from living to our full potential and may even affect our health, wellbeing, and life expectancy[2]. Unless we treat age discrimination with the same gravity in law and practice as other forms of discrimination, we will deny ourselves the opportunity to fully participate in society on an equal basis with others.

COVID-19 has shown just how badly things go wrong when our human rights are not equally protected in old age[3]. Because older people were largely seen as vulnerable, dependent, frail and incapable, they did suffer and keep suffering unnecessary stigmatisation, isolation, abuse and deaths.

Ageism denies older people the opportunity to do what they value most, through work, volunteering, caregiving and community activities. As future Member of the European Parliament, you can be strong changemakers to make sure the European Union addresses adequately population ageing and works toward a society for all ages.

We call on the next European Parliament to:

(1)  End discrimination

• Extend EU legal protection from age discrimination beyond the field of employment.
• Raise awareness on ageism and promote practices to eliminate ageist practices.
• Address the multiple and intersecting forms of discriminations that people experience based on a combination of factors such as age, gender or disability, and the cumulative discrimination that builds up over time.
• Gather inclusive age-disaggregated data without age limits to deliver effective policies and monitor their implementation.
• Support the drafting of a UN convention on the rights of older persons that would trigger legal reforms to prohibit age discrimination across every aspect of life.

(2)  Foster participation

• Ensure meaningful involvement in political participation, equal access to culture, justice, employment, life-long learning and vocational training, including digital literacy.
• Guarantee full, affordable, and equal access to key essential services like health and care services, public transport and banking services; guarantee alternative options to digital services.
• Encourage approaches where periods of transition between learning, working, family care, periods of unemployment, and retirement can take place at different ages.

(3)  Ensure autonomy

• Empower older workers for sustainable and quality working lives, removing barriers such as mandatory retirement, tackling age discrimination on the labour market and adapting workplaces for all ages.
• Secure adequacy of pensions and old-age minimum income schemes, addressing their erosion over time, to allow older people to cover their needs, provide financial security, and access adequate healthcare and housing.
• Ensure autonomy, independence, participation, and inclusion of older people in long-term care; improve the quality and working conditions of formal carers in long-term services and support informal carers.

How?

• By working towards an EU Age Equality Strategy, to uphold human rights equally at all ages and address barriers that keep us from living fairly and freely when we are older.
• By requesting a strong coordination of the European Commission’s work on ageing policies based on equality.
• By re-establishing the Intergroup on Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.