Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, rapporteur, I would like to begin by congratulating Mr Mantovani on the quality of his report, which I believe is serious and well-balanced. I have heard it said on occasions that we cannot give our opinion on numbers and therefore we are saying nothing new when we say that world demographic tendencies reveal a gradual ageing of the population. The rapporteur has already mentioned the percentage of the European population over the age of 65, 16 %, an estimated 22 % and 27.5 % for 2025 and 2050, and that the number of people over 80 is going to increase as well, from 3.6% in 2000 to 6% in 2025 and to 10% in 2050. In view of these statistics it is no good to bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich and wait to see what happens and nor must we be alarmist. The demographic situation is obviously a success for society, which can be attributed to medical care and an improvement in living conditions in general. Elderly people do not make up an homogenous group and their needs therefore also vary. Policies relating to the elderly must focus on the double perspective of their needs and the care they require – and which they have a right to – in order to meet those needs, and of their potential and the services they lend to society. No society – including European society – can afford not to take advantage of the contributions elderly people can make in terms of their experience, training and knowledge. As well as Article 152 of the Treaty, these policies comply with Article 21 of the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, by prohibiting all discrimination – in this case on grounds of age – and Article 25, stating that the Union recognises and respects the rights of the elderly to lead a life of dignity and independence and to participate in social and cultural life. These principles would be deprived of content if they were not accompanied by policies to turn them into realities. In this regard, the Barcelona Council of March 2002 pointed out the need to initiate and develop cooperation between the Member States on these issues during 2002 and 2003, the need for an exchange of good practices and information and the need to hold a debate on the common challenges at European level. Healthcare systems must face a triple challenge. Firstly, access to care for all, with the special characteristics of care for the elderly; secondly, a high degree of quality and, thirdly, the financial sustainability of the systems. I believe these are three necessary, minimal and laudable objectives, and I would like to draw attention to the close link between them. Whatever the system of funding, taxation or contributions, their achievement can and must be promoted also through the promotion of healthier lifestyles, prevention measures and increasing awareness on the part of service providers and users on the correct application of therapies and medications. This will allow a balance between the three objectives. The risk of prioritising the objective of financial sustainability could undermine those of quality and accessibility, but also, without sustainability, quality and accessibility would only be possible in the short term.

Political group: PPE-DE