A4-0042/97

Resolution on the Commission's Report to the Council and European Parliament on the Demographic Situation in the European Union (1995) (COM(96)0060 - C4- 0143/96)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission's report to the Council and European Parliament, COM(96)0060 - C4-0143/96,

- having regard to the Communication of the Commission on the future of Social Protection: a framework for a European debate (COM(95)0466 - C4- 0524/95),

- having regard to the White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment (COM(93)0700 - C3-0509/93),

- having regard to the United Nations World Population Report 1996,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Women's Rights (A4-0042/97),

A. whereas the foreseeable changes in the demographic structure of the population of the European Union will have a strong impact, notably on the labour market situation, the costs of social protection, education and training provision and the economy in general,

B. concerned about the growing demographic regional imbalances as well as the combined urbanization and depopulation of the countryside, in spite of the efforts made in the framework of the Structural Fund and the Cohesion Fund to reduce the gap,

C. aware of the declining demographic importance of the Union on a world scale, and the simultaneous fast economic growth of the economies of many non-western countries, notably the Asian and Central and East European countries,

D. noting with regret that, despite its obvious importance, the demographic factor has not been a major issue on the political agenda of the European Union and its Member States,

E. whereas the European Union can play an important role in organizing the exchange of information and in coordinating national policies; whereas the Union should incorporate the demographic factor in its own policies,

F. concerned about the risk that demographic ageing will put a strain on equal opportunities as well as on solidarity between the generations, as there is a danger that the burden of responsibility of caring and providing for children, elderly people and disabled people, will be very unevenly distributed over the sexes and generations,

G. whereas the increasing cost of current social protection systems, the growing gap between demand for new qualifications and the supply thereof by young entrants, longer life expectancy and improved health call for increased investment in education and training provision for older workers, the development of technology adapted to the needs of older people and the reconsideration of work and retirement patterns,

H. aware of the far-reaching effects of the changes in the demographic structure on family life and on the organization of work and leisure time,

I. whereas, because of the ageing of the population, the European economy will be marked by a small population of working age in proportion to the number of pensioners, which means that, without exceptional (and improbable) productivity gains or an increase in the number of immigrants, the growth in per capita economic prosperity in Europe will inevitably be lower than in other industrialized countries,

J. whereas immigration could improve the population structure but would require an exceptional effort in terms of targeted education and training provision to have a substantial impact on the labour market,

K. whereas an ageing population will result in an increased demand for services and at the same time, given the probable increase in the number of people with disabilities, call for a reconsideration of town and country planning,

L. confronted with a lack of adequate, comparable, reliable and sound statistics on the causes and consequences of the demographic situation in the European Union and demographic trends in the rest of the world,

M. drawing attention to the fact that the high rate of taxation in most EU countries is likely to increase further due to the relative decrease in the working population,

1. Welcomes the Commission's report as a valuable contribution to the debate on the social and economic future of the European Union;

2. Calls on the Commission to develop a new vision of the role of the European Union in the world in areas such as trade, industry, social protection, environment and international politics, given the declining demographic importance of the Union on the world scale;

3. Suggests that the Member States incorporate the demographic factor in their annual employment reports to the Council;

On labour market participation

4. Warns of the risks of ignoring the above radical changes in the structure of our societies and urges the Council and the Member States to redefine their economic and social policies in the light of the impact of demographic developments;

5. Believes that the above redefinition of policies should aim at increasing the labour market participation of women, extending the retention of older workers in the labour market and improving access to the labour market by immigrants; takes the view that the above can be achieved, among others, by improving permanent education and training provision at all stages of one's life, offering training leave opportunities for all, ensuring the provision of adequate structures for the care of children or other dependent people, developing working conditions which are suitable for older workers and promoting more flexible work patterns and approaches to retirement;

6. Stresses that the overwhelming majority of the older population enjoy good health; they represent a potential which can carry out important jobs which are not currently carried out by the public sector or industry and are sometimes referred to as the 'tertiary sector';

7. Requests the Commission to establish a research, development and implementation programme on technology and ageing (gerontechnology) that will ensure that the elderly will remain a benefit rather than a burden to society and thereby increase the competitiveness of European industry;

8. Calls on all parties concerned, public authorities and social partners alike, to intensify the equal opportunities policy, in order to enable all people to participate in the labour market under equal conditions, and simultaneously create the circumstances in which men and women can combine work and family life;

9. Draws attention to the likely effect which the introduction of a single currency could have on the increasing need for a convergence of social policy at European level; requests the European Council and the Commission, therefore, to implement Article 2 of the EC Treaty and promote a high level of employment and social protection; observes that this is the best way of regarding the ageing of the population as a challenge rather than a threat;

10. Calls on the Commission to come forward with a study and proposals concerning the effects on employment of tax reforms, notably the shift from labour to other tax bases, such as production or energy consumption, in particular unsustainable consumption patterns;

On social security and pensions

11. Reaffirms that the principles of the European model of social protection must be preserved and that social solidarity must be taken into account in particular in the discussions and studies undertaken on the reform of social security in Europe;

12. Consequently urges the Member States to redesign their pension schemes to take account of demographic changes whilst safeguarding the principle of solidarity between the generations; is of the opinion that Member States cannot abdicate their responsibility for providing a basic pension cover for all in all circumstances and should ensure that women are not disadvantaged in terms of level and duration of benefits because of their longer life expectancy;

13. Calls upon the Commission to monitor developments in relation to policy on the elderly and the ageing of the population, in order, inter alia, to obtain precise information concerning the impact of demographic trends on the financial equilibrium of the various social security systems;

14. Calls on the Commission to initiate the debate on the future of old age pensions in Europe and to make an inventory of creative solutions and new ways of financing systems;

15. Supports the conclusions drawn by the High Level Group chaired by Mrs Veil in their report on the free movement of persons (supplementary pensions) which urge the Commission to focus action on the preservation of acquired rights, cross-border payments and short-term employment in another Member State;

16. Calls on the social partners to base their collective bargaining on new premises, considering new career patterns, a different relationship between productivity and remuneration, new methods of recruiting and selecting aimed at new groups in the labour market and an ageing working population, and solidarity between generations;

17. Calls on Member States to see to it that early retirement and early exit schemes are not being used improperly to facilitate the discharge of workers still of working age, to the advantage of enterprises, and hence to place a premature burden on the pension system without young employees genuinely being recruited in their place;

On care

18. Calls on the Commission to make a comparative study of special implementation models in the area of health care and nursing care for the elderly taking into account the importance of preventive health care and the results of interesting and successful initiatives and experiments, including independent hobby activities arranged by organizations for the elderly, with the aid of which the elderly can remain healthy and active for longer;

19. Urges the Member States to promote the development of good-quality, new, innovative and cost-efficient forms of care and to guarantee all citizens the inalienable right to health, because the health of a person or family must never be dependent on the state of their finances;

20. Urges the Member States, in the light of demographic trends, to expand the care which society provides for the elderly, which is also necessary in order to promote the participation of women in working life;

On regional imbalances

21. Urges the Member States to take account of demographic trends in their town and country planning policies, as the elderly often acquire disabilities; housing, public buildings and public transport should be adapted and rendered accessible for people with disabilities;

22. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Member States and the Committee of the Regions, to come forward with a detailed study of the demographic situation of the regions of the European Union, the urbanization and the depopulation of the countryside, taking into account the effects on employment, economic growth, the environment and public health;

23. Urges the Commission, in its revision of the Structural Funds, to give growing regional imbalances due consideration, and to incorporate the demographic aspect in the post-1999 framework for the Funds;

24. Underlines the growing importance of a coordinated Community urban policy, as described in the Charter of European Cities by Eurocities, and to this end suggests assigning overall responsibility for urban policy to a single Commissioner;

25. Subscribes to the tenor of the European Charter for Rural Areas of the Council of Europe and the Cork Declaration 'A living countryside¨ adopted on 9 November 1996 by the European Conference of Rural Development, stressing the need for a new European development policy for rural areas, within the framework of Community agricultural policy and environmental policy, and integrating other policy areas such as SMEs, recreation, technology and research, education and training, town and country planning, infrastructure and transport;

The birth-rate

26. Calls upon the Member States to promote measures to reconcile family and work, for example in the form of a general reduction in working hours, provision for parental leave for both men and women, proper financial support for families with children, and high-quality and affordable child care; considers that special attention should be devoted to the situation of single parents; considers that it is necessary to promote the conditions enabling the full participation of women in the decision-making positions of society;

Final remarks

27. Calls upon the Member States to respect the need of the elderly for education, culture and leisure activities;

28. Urges the Commission to update EU demographic data regularly and to make it available through the new information and communication technologies so that comparisons can easily be made with other parts of the world;

29. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee.