By Miguel Ángel Cabra de Luna, member of the EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group

A new EESC opinion puts forward a number of policy proposals on how best to respond to a growing challenge: the huge increase in the number of older people in Europe.

According to recent data and projections, the number of over 65s in Europe is expected to increase by 44.7% between 2019 and 2050. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the strategic challenge that an ageing population represents for the EU and the need to reform and improve long-term care for the elderly. So now that the World Health Organisation has declared the end of the COVID-19 emergency, and with the EU in talks on a new strategy on ageing, it is the perfect time to reflect on the effects the pandemic has had on the older population.

Through its opinion Towards a new care model for older people: learning from COVID-19, for which I was rapporteur, the EESC highlighted, already in January 2022, the urgent need for a paradigm shift and a change in the way we invest in care for older people, making several recommendations. Now a new opinion to be put to the vote at the EESC plenary in July elaborates on these issues.

The opinion stresses the need to adopt a new European strategy on older people aimed at protecting their rights and ensuring their full participation in society and the economy. It also suggests creating a European agency for older people, declaring a European year of older persons, adopting a UN convention on the rights of older people, and updating or establishing laws on supporting older people and protecting their autonomy. Furthermore, we highlight the need for more funding and universal access to care, and for development and training in innovative technologies that promote autonomy and care, and measures to ensure adequate training for carers.

It is important to take older people into consideration in European policies, and to ensure accessible and quality long-term care for them and their families, in order to ensure their autonomy, well-being and dignity. It is also important that the approach to age and older people not be seen as a burden or an expense for society, but rather as a part of the social and economic benefits that will be achieved by ensuring the greater active inclusion of older people.

The EESC will continue to contribute with its ideas and proposals in this regard. Its members believe that it should be a priority subject in view of the 2024 European elections. The credibility of the European social model is at stake, particularly in a Europe that is ageing faster than any other region on the planet.