Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Ageing well in the Information Society - an i2010 Initiative - Action Plan on Information and Communication Technologies and Ageing {SEC(2007)811}
Date: 2007-06-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, information society, information technology, population ageing, research programme

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 14.6.2007 
COM(2007) 332 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Ageing well in the Information Society 

An i2010 Initiative 

Action Plan on Information and Communication Technologies and Ageing 

{SEC(2007)811} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Ageing well in the Information Society 

An i2010 Initiative 

Action Plan on Information and Communication Technologies and Ageing 

(Text with EEA relevance) 

1. 

1.1. 

1.2. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

2.3. 

2.4. 

2.5. 

2.6. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

3.3. 

3.4. 

4. 

ICT for Ageing: a social necessity and an economic opportunity ............................... 3 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

The action plan on ageing well in the information society .......................................... 4 

Overcoming the barriers and exploiting the opportunities........................................... 5 

Understanding older users............................................................................................ 5 

Market visibility and transparency............................................................................... 5 

Regulatory barriers....................................................................................................... 6 

Technical barriers......................................................................................................... 6 

Basic access barriers and lack of adequate solutions ................................................... 7 

Other barriers ............................................................................................................... 7 

Objectives and actions of the action plan on ICT and Ageing..................................... 8 

Raising awareness and building consensus.................................................................. 8 

Putting the enabling conditions in place ...................................................................... 9 

Promoting take-up...................................................................................................... 10 

Preparing for the future .............................................................................................. 10 

Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 10 

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1. 

ICT FOR AGEING: A SOCIAL NECESSITY AND AN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY 

1.1. 

Introduction 

Europe's population is ageing: average life expectancy has increased from 55 in 1920 to over 
80 today. With the retiring baby boom generation the number of people aged from 65 to 80 
will rise by nearly 40% between 2010 and 2030. This demographic change poses significant 
challenges  to  Europe's  society  and  economy1.  Information  and  communication  technologies 
(ICT) can play an important role in dealing with these challenges. 

ICT  can  help  the  older  individuals  to  improve  quality  of  life,  stay  healthier  and  live 
independently  for  longer.  Innovative  solutions  are  emerging  to  help  counteract  problems 
related  to  memory,  vision,  hearing,  and  mobility,  which  are  more  prevalent  with  age2.  ICT 
also enables older persons to remain active at work or in their community. Their accumulated 
experience and skills is a great asset, especially in the knowledge society.  

The demand for health and social services will grow with the increase of the number of very 
old and frail people (the group of over 80 year olds will almost double by 2050), while the 
financial  sustainability  of  such  services  is  already  of  great  concern3.  ICT  enables  more 
efficient  management  and  delivery  of  health  and  social  care,  as  well  as  increasing 
opportunities for community- and self-care and service innovation. Significant benefits can be 
reaped for the economy and society at large.  

Although  the  older  population  has  a  large  buying  power  and  ageing  is  becoming  a  global 
phenomenon,  the  market  of  ICT  for  ageing  well  in  the  information  society  is  still  on  its 
nascent phase and does not yet fully ensure the availability and take-up of the necessary ICT-
enabled solutions. The reasons include low awareness of the opportunities and user needs and 
insufficient  sharing  of  experiences,  fragmentation  of  reimbursement  and  certification 
schemes, lack of interoperability, and high costs of development and validation.  

Therefore,  the  Commission  has  decided  to  launch  an  action  plan  on  ageing  well  in  the 
information  society,  presented  in  this  Communication,  and  as  announced  in  i20104.  The 
action plan has not only the objectives of enabling a better quality of life for older people with 
significant  cost-savings  in  health  and  social  care,  but  also  aims  to  help  creating  a  strong 
industrial basis in Europe for ICT and ageing. The action plan represents a first response of 
the  European  Commission  to  the  2006  Riga  Ministerial  Declaration  on  e-Inclusion5  and 
supports EU policy in the areas of growth and competitiveness in the revised Lisbon agenda, 
demographic change, employment, health, and equal opportunities6. 

1 
2 
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COM(2005) 658; COM(2006) 57.  
45% of those aged 75 and older are impaired in their daily living activities. 
Spending  on  pensions,  health  and  long-term  care  will  increase  by  4-8  %  of  GDP  in  coming  decades. 
The ratio of workers (to sustain such spending) to retired persons will drop from 5:1 to 2:1 by 2050.  
COM(2005)  229:  i2010  flagship  initiative  “on  the  needs  of  the  ageing  society,  more  specifically  on 
caring  for  people  in  an ageing  society  and  addressing  technologies  for  wellbeing,  independent  living 
and health". 
Riga  Ministerial  Conference  on  ICT  for  an  Inclusive  Society  and  Riga  Ministerial  Declaration,  June 
2006. 
Resp.COM(2005) 658, op.cit, COM(2006)3 0, COM(2005) 525, Aho Group report; Council Directive 
2000/78/EC; SEC(2006) 1195; COM(2003) 650. 

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The  Commission  will  also  propose  support  to  a  new  research  programme  of  European 
countries on “Ageing well in the Information Society” under Article 169 of the Treaty.  

1.2. 

The action plan on ageing well in the information society 

This  action  plan  is  designed  to  create  political  and  industrial  momentum  for  a  significant 
effort in developing and deploying user-friendly ICT tools and services, mainstreaming older 
users'  needs  and  supporting  other  policy  areas  in  addressing  the  challenges  of  ageing.  In 
particular  this  action  plan  supports  the  Commission  Action  plan  2003-2010  for  people  with 
disabilities7. 

The action plan addresses market barriers for ICT services and tools and seeks to realise the 
opportunities particularly for the older people of today and tomorrow, by raising awareness, 
building common strategies, removing technical and regulatory hurdles, and promoting take-
up,  joint  research  and  innovation.  It  coordinates  existing  efforts,  adding  a  number  of  new 
actions to integrate, complement and reinforce existing work. Three areas of user needs are to 
be addressed:  

Ageing  well  at  work  or  ‘active  ageing  at  work’:  staying  active  and  productive  for  longer, 
with  better  quality  of  work  and  work-life  balance  with  the  help  of  easy-to-access  ICT, 
innovative practices for adaptable, flexible workplaces, ICT skills and competencies and ICT 
enhanced learning (resp. e-skills and e-learning). 

Ageing well in the community: staying socially active and creative8, through ICT solutions 
for  social  networking,  as  well  as  access  to  public  and  commercial  services,  thus  improving 
quality  of  life9  and  reducing  social  isolation  (one  of  the  main  problems  of  older  people  in 
rural, scarcely populated areas, as well as urban areas with limited family support).  

Ageing well at home: enjoying a healthier and higher quality of daily life for longer, assisted 
by technology, while maintaining a high degree of independence, autonomy and dignity.  

Europe’s ICT industry (including SMEs), health and social care providers can establish many 
of  the  components  for  delivery  of  services  aimed  at  ageing  customers.  Private-public 
partnerships can engage in large-scale validation of user acceptance and cost-effectiveness of 
novel solutions. 

If  Europe  responds  to  the  challenges  in  time  and  overcomes  technical,  regulatory  and 
behavioural  barriers,  ICT  for  ageing  well  can  become  a  driver  for  jobs  and  growth10and  a 
successful lead market for Europe11. 

ICT for ageing well: a social necessity and an economic opportunity 
The information society can enable older people – when and where they wish to do so – to 
participate fully in society and the economy, and to be active as empowered citizens; and at 
the same time generate benefits for businesses and for economy and society at large.  

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COM(2003) 650 
E.g.  using  Internet  2.0  /  Web  2.0;  digital  TV  –  provided  it  is  accessible  for  all;  and  mobile 
communications. 
In line with the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. 
Silver Economy Network. 
Aho Report, op. cit.. 

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2. 

OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS AND EXPLOITING THE OPPORTUNITIES  

2.1. 

Understanding older users 

The  market  for  products  and  services  for  ICT  and  ageing  is  still  in  its  early  stages.  Low 
market awareness and visibility, lack of standards and interoperability, uncertainty about the 
sustainability  of  business  models  constitute  barriers  for  its  uptake.  Fragmentation  leads  to  a 
diversity  of  expensive  solutions.  Ethical  issues  and  a  general  lack  of  coordination,  user-
industry cooperation and common  strategies delay its take-up. In addressing these barriers - 
and  exploiting  the  opportunities  -  users  must  be  at  the  centre.  Two  user  characteristics  are 
highlighted here. 

Older  people,  when  faced  with  new  technologies,  can  find  themselves  in  a  relatively  weak 
position. This may be due to their personal situation (income, education, geographic location, 
health,  possible  impairments,  and  gender  issues),  the  complexity  of  the  technologies,  or  the 
mediation by professionals (doctors, rehabilitation experts, field experts on independent living 
and  workplace  adaptations),  formal  and  informal  care  providers,  and  family  members. 
Moreover,  products  and  services  are  often  not  adapted  to  meet  the  specific  needs  of  older 
users  or  are  not  adequately  available,  thus  increasing  their  sense  of  frustration  and 
dependency. Unless measures are taken this situation will also hold true for the ‘future old’ 
given the fast technological evolution. 

In the case of health and social care, reimbursement and insurance schemes are often based on 
complicated procedures. If they fail at any point, the older person can feel utterly powerless. 

A countervailing and important trend in ICT is user empowerment. Older users can be much 
better informed than ever before and thus increasingly take charge of their own health, fitness 
and  independent  living  with  the  help  of  information  on  the  Internet,  television  theme 
channels,  and  ICT-enabled  daily  life,  personal  health  and  fitness  solutions.  In  addition,  in 
several countries  care and insurance systems are being revised to control costs and increase 
effectiveness  and  quality,  devolving  responsibilities  from  governments  to  the  citizens 
themselves and the private sector.  

2.2.  Market visibility and transparency 

Lack of awareness by part of the European ICT industry12, intermediaries and final users of 
assistive  technologies  is  a  key  factor  in  why  the  senior  market  for  ICT  has  not  so  far  been 
adequately addressed.  

Older  users  have  often  limited  knowledge  of  possible  solutions.  There  are  scarcely  any 
systematic overviews and comparative assessments of the technologies to inform consumers. 
Even  the  awareness  of  user-friendly  (accessibility)  features  of  mainstream  technologies  for 
the workplace varies substantially. Applications for telemedicine and home care support are 
well-proven  but  their  take-up  is  still  limited  due  to  an  insufficient  awareness  of  their 
possibilities among potential adopters, for example, local authorities.  

Industry  still  has  limited  understanding  of  comparative  user  requirements,  such  as  socio-
economic factors, gender needs and income levels that may impede access to ICT, personal 
attitudes and sensitivities to ICT, and even of lifestyles. Companies and local authorities are 

12 

48% of persons over 50 feel that their needs are not adequately addressed by current ICT equipment and 
services - Senior Watch. 

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thus  still  acting  on  a  trial-and-error  basis.  The  lack  of  a  systematic  approach  to  market 
development leads to high costs for research and market validation. Lack of transparency 
of  the  applicable  rules  and  regulations,  including  support  schemes  for  innovative  solutions, 
hampers both users and industry and leads to expensive solutions. 

Market  development  also  suffers  generally  from  a  lack  of  exchange  of  practical 
experiences.  For  example,  there  are  no  reference  ‘best  of  breed’  implementations  of  smart 
homes  for  independent  living  or  workplace  adaptation.  Innovative  good  practices  often  are 
limited to small-scale implementation due to the fragmented approaches to risk-sharing, and 
the lack of forward-looking deployment actions (including innovative procurement practices). 
The reduced scale of technological diffusion, the lack of awareness on cost-effectiveness and 
user  acceptance  of  innovative  services,  and  technology  challenges  (e.g.  interoperability)  are 
barriers to stepping up investment. 

2.3. 

Regulatory barriers 

The  different  application  by  Member  States  of  the  provisions  related  to  disability  in  the 
Directives concerning the regulatory framework for electronic communications constitutes a 
barrier  for  disabled  people  -  many  of  which  are  older  persons  -  to  access  and  use 
communication services and fragments the market for accessible technologies.  

Lack  of  common  standards  and  conformity  assessment  procedures  hampers  existing  and 
new  services  and  technologies  such  as  smart  homes,  integrated  health  and  social  care  ICT 
systems,  and  assistive  technologies  to  reach  mass  markets  and  to  deliver  opportunities  for 
competitiveness. 

Differences  in  social  and  health  care  reimbursement  schemes  within  Member  States  and 
uncertainties about the legal requirements of medical certification for ICT-enabled services 
(such  as  tele-medicine  and  independent  living)  reduce  the  potential  for  collective  insurance 
schemes  to  cover  upfront  costs  for  these  services  and  hamper  their  development  and 
implementation. 

2.4. 

Technical barriers 

Access, accessibility and user-friendliness of devices and services are prerequisites for the 
inclusive delivery of advanced services for the ageing society. Mainstream ICT products and 
services  rarely  address  the  needs  of  the  older  population,  e.g.  those  related  to  the  multiple 
progressive  impairments  associated  with  age.  Markets  tend  to  overlook  older  users'  needs: 
there  are  few  guidelines,  voluntary  or  mandatory  standards  and  related  regulatory 
frameworks.  

Technological  solutions  for  end-users  often  require  putting  together  and  interconnecting  a 
variety of services and tools in a way that is beyond the ability of most final users13. However, 
markets  alone  do  not  possess  the  necessary  incentives  to  guarantee  interoperability  and 
modularity across different devices and services, thus increasing costs to final users, missing 
economies of scale, and hampering the internal market for ICT and ageing.  

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E.g. combining assistive technologies with mainstream technologies. 

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2.5. 

Basic access barriers and lack of adequate solutions 

Older  people  are  at  particular risk  of  missing  out  on  the  benefits  of  the  information  society 
because many of them do not have basic access to communication networks, e.g. broadband, 
and  information  technologies.  Only  10%  of  people  over  65  use  the  Internet  regularly  as 
compared to 47% for the EU25 on average14. The reasons for limited access are most often 
insufficient motivation, financial means, digital competencies and convenient training.  

Currently the market is not investing sufficiently in innovation for meaningful and affordable 
solutions  for  older  users,  such  as  integrated  and  easy-to-use  independent  and  healthy  living 
services.  There  is  a  need  to  break  the  vicious  cycle  of  insufficient  adequate  solutions, 
awareness,  economies  of  scale  and  standards,  and  sustainable  business  models,  which  leads 
again to insufficient investment in research and innovative solutions.  

2.6. 

Other barriers 

Solutions  can  only  bring  benefits  if  users  have  access  to  basic  ICT  facilities,  have  the 
appropriate  education  and  motivation,  and  ethical  and  psychological  issues  are  properly 
addressed. There is no specific reference point for ethics in ICT for ageing, for example, in 
safeguarding  human  dignity  and  autonomy  where  solutions  require  a  degree  of  monitoring 
and intervention. 

ICT  for  ageing  experiences  a  pronounced  lack  of  coordination,  reflecting  demand  and 
supply  side  fragmentation.  The  situation  may  be  somewhat  improving  in  the  mainstream 
industry  (ICT,  health)  as  new  industry  alliances  emerge,  but  the  assistive  technologies 
industry  remains  highly  fragmented.  User  organisations  in  Europe  are  still  smaller  than 
similar  organisations  in,  for  example,  the  USA  and  Canada,  which  limits  their  influence  in 
partnerships with industry and authorities. 

Finally, the lack of coordination and cooperation of market actors across the whole service 
delivery  chain  is  one  of  the  most  important  reasons  for  these  barriers.  Cooperation  across 
industry,  users,  and  authorities  is  essential  to  achieve  a  high  degree  of  visibility  and 
awareness, 
transparency  while 
understanding  users'  needs,  to  find  solutions  for  interoperability,  to  align  regulatory 
frameworks, to share risks in research and innovation and, generally, to monitor progress.  

to  demonstrate  wider  cost-effectiveness, 

increase 

to 

Illustrating the potential 

•  Europeans over 65 possess wealth and revenues of over 3000 B€.  

•  The  market  for  smart  homes  applications  (age-related  assistance  in  shopping,  dressing,  moving 

independently) will triple between 2005 and 2020, from 13 million people up to 37 million. 

•  68  million  people  in  2005  had  several  forms  of  age-related  impairment.  This  will  grow  to  84 

million in 2020. 

•  Early  patient  discharge  from  hospital  due  to  the  introduction  of  mobile  health  monitoring  would 

save €1,5 billion p.a. in Germany alone.  

•  EU research projects have developed technologies for personalised route guidance; home care and 

remote health monitoring and advice; intelligent alarms; natural interfaces for accessible ICT. 

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Eurostat, 2006 Community survey on ICT usage in household and by individuals. 

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3. 

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS OF THE ACTION PLAN ON ICT AND AGEING 

The action plan on ageing well in the information society sets out to accelerate the delivery of 
benefits to citizens, companies, and authorities in Europe:  

•  for citizens –a better quality of life and better health through prolonged independent living, 
active ageing at work ensuring that older workers can regularly update their competencies, 
and increased social participation;  

•  for companies – increased market size and market opportunities in the internal market for 
ICT and ageing in Europe, better skilled and productive workforce and a stronger position 
in the growing markets worldwide;  

•  for authorities – cost-reductions, increased efficiencies and better overall quality in health 

and social care systems.  

The action plan is structured around four areas: 

(1) 

raising awareness and establishing consensus and common strategies,  

(2) 

putting enabling conditions in place,  

(3) 

accelerating take-up of and investment in validated solutions,  

(4) 

coordinating efforts in preparing for the future through research and innovation. 

3.1. 

Raising awareness and building consensus 

A pre-condition to success is awareness of the opportunities and barriers. Awareness creation 
is  very  much  a  responsibility  of  the  lead  actors  at  national,  regional  and  local  levels.  The 
added value at European level is in giving ICT and ageing a prominent place in EU policy.  

Common visions, strategies and partnerships are needed involving stakeholders: older persons 
and  their  representatives,  ministries  and  public  authorities  at  national  and  regional  levels, 
industry  and  providers,  employers,  public  and  private  health  insurers,  researchers  and 
academia, telecommunications and construction companies, and standardisation bodies.  

An  example  is  in  achieving  integrated  solutions  for  independent  living:  legal,  technical, 
financial barriers and understanding of users' needs need to be  addressed through  combined 
regulation,  research,  validation  and  deployment,  and  awareness-raising  actions  involving  all 
actors. 

In the course of 2007 the Commission will therefore facilitate efforts of business stakeholders 
and  civil  society  organisations  to  establish  an  innovation  platform  for  ageing  well  in  the 
information  society  (as  a  forum  to  cooperate  on  strategic  innovation  agendas  addressing 
research, deployment and implementation), so as to develop common roadmaps, showcasing 
and implementation paths across the delivery chain. 

A  Ministerial  debate  under  the  Portuguese  Presidency  of  the  Council  of  Ministers,  in  the 
second  half  of  2007,  will  advance  policy  proposals  to  promote  the  use  of  ICT  for  active 
ageing at work. Particular attention will also be given to the challenges of older women in the 
information society.  

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ICT for ageing well will be a key contribution to the European e-Inclusion Initiative in 2008 
and an internet portal for ICT and ageing will be established. 

3.2. 

Putting the enabling conditions in place 

The  Commission  will  during  2007  and  2008  launch  further  assessments  of  market  barriers 
hindering  uptake  of  technologies  for  independent  living  and  identify  recommendations  for 
action.  Given  the  potentials  of  radio  frequency  identification  (RFID)  in  systems  for 
independent  living,  the  Commission  will  assess  the  implications  and  opportunities  of  these 
technologies.  It  will  work  in  2007  on  a  Recommendation  to  Member  States  with  respect  to 
privacy  implications  and  promote  investments  in  further  RFID  research  and  large  scale 
prototypes15.  

The Commission will facilitate the efforts of Member States to meet the objectives of the Riga 
Ministerial Declaration, in terms of identifying options, target dates and providing guidance 
for  removing  legal  and  technical  barriers  to  the  uptake  of  technologies  for  independent 
living (e.g. different reimbursement and certification schemes; lack of interoperability of ICT 
systems). In particular, the Commission will work with Member States representatives in the 
relevant i2010 subgroups to make available information on existing national regulatory and 
organisational approaches and to exchange practices. 

implementation  of  current 

Considering the correlation between disability and ageing, Member States should strengthen 
the 
legal  requirements  for  e-Accessibility  and  support 
standardisation in this area. The Commission will also seize the opportunity of the revision of 
the e-Communications regulatory framework, assessing the need for additional legislation, as 
announced in its 2005 e-Accessibility Communication16.  

In line with the e-Health Action Plan17 the Commission will issue a recommendation on e-
Health  interoperability  in  2007,  addressing  the  core  e-Health  infrastructure  data  (patient 
summary, emergency data set).  

Member  States,  business  stakeholders,  user  organisations,  regional  and  local  authorities 
should  promote  basic  access  through  broadband  to  ICT  services  for  ageing  and  increase 
digital competencies of older people, thus reducing the gap in Internet access by half by 2010 
in line with the Riga Ministerial Declaration. The Commission will facilitate the exchange of 
good  practices  and  access  to  programmes,  services,  solutions  and  multi-stakeholder 
initiatives,  through  the  internet  portal  that  will  be  set  up.  The  Commission  will  also  review 
policies to support digital competencies for older groups in 2007/8, and measure progress. 

A  Ministerial  debate  under  the  Slovenian  Presidency  in  the  first  half  of  2008  will  address 
ethical  issues  in  ICT  for  ageing.  Through  research,  analyses  and  pilot  projects  aimed  at 
market validation, the Commission will support industry and user organisations in addressing 
ethical concerns and exploring opportunities to establish ethical guidance. 

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16 
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COM(2007) 96. 
COM(2005) 425. 
COM(2004) 356. 

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3.3. 

Promoting take-up 

Lack  of  impact  validation  of  potential  solutions  based  on  socio-economic  assessment  and 
validation for scaling up currently hampers large scale take-up. The Commission will launch 
a set of pilot projects in the ICT part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme 
(CIP),  led  by  industry,  service  providers,  regional,  local  and  national  authorities,  with  an 
initial focus in 2007 on independent living, and chronic disease monitoring.  

The Commission will also encourage benchmarking and exploration of the potentials of ICT 
for active ageing at work (in the CIP), and linkage to Structural Funds and innovative public 
procurement for ICT and ageing by local, regional and national authorities. 

A European award scheme for smart homes and independent living applications will be 
established. One i2010 smart home site should be recognised in each Member State by 2008, 
with  a  significant  increase  by  2010,  leading  to  a  European  network  for  exchange  of 
experiences and good practices. 

Professional  associations,  industry,  academia  and  user  organisations  are  encouraged  to 
establish training programmes, including accessibility of websites, accessibility of mainstream 
ICT  tools  and  services  and  universal  design.  The  Commission  will  pursue  synergies  with 
ongoing EU projects to facilitate the establishment of a Masters-level programme in Design 
for All relying on the commitment of industrial partners and user organisations. 

3.4. 

Preparing for the future 

ICT for ageing is only at its initial phase: science and technology are developing fast and hold 
much  promise  for  increasingly  user-friendly,  intelligent  and  cost-effective  solutions. 
Leadership in innovation can be the key success factor for Europe’s industry.  

Accelerating  and  sustaining  delivery  of  the  benefits  of  innovation  requires  shared  research 
agendas,  pooling  of  scarce  resources,  and  development  of  common  platforms.  The 
Commission  has  already  stepped  up  research  in  ICT  for  ageing  in  the  e-Health  and 
e-Inclusion challenges of the 7th Framework Programme on Information Society Technologies 
with increased focus on involvement of users and mainstreaming of age-friendly ICT. It will 
bring  together  EU  R&D  and  other  projects  to  contribute  to  a  common  interoperability 
framework for ICT solutions and services for ageing. 

The  Commission  proposes  under  Article  169  of  the  Treaty  to  Parliament  and  Council  to 
support  a  new  research  initiative,  “Ageing  well  in  the  Information  Society”,  aimed  at 
coordinating  Member  States  research  programmes  in  ICT  for  ageing  (prepared  through  the 
Ambient  Assisted  Living  action).  This  initiative  will  stimulate  market  oriented  research  on 
applications  for  independent  living.  It  will  bridge  longer  term  research  performed  under  the 
7th  Framework  Programme  with  large  scale  innovation  projects  under  the  CIP.  The 
Commission  also  encourages  European  Technology  Platforms  in  particular  to  address  ICT 
and ageing in their strategic research agendas. 

4. 

CONCLUSION 

The action plan on ageing well in the information society identifies priority areas and actions 
where  ICT  can  best  contribute  to  address  the  challenges  and  opportunities  of  the  ageing  of 
Europe's population. It addresses the main barriers in terms of market readiness, the adequacy 

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and  affordability  of  products  and  services,  and  the  sustainability  of  service  delivery  and 
business models. The action plan builds on enhanced cooperation among all stakeholders and 
aims to unlock the promising potential of ICT and ageing in Europe, and beyond. 

The Commission calls upon all stakeholders in civil society, authorities and businesses to act 
in  partnership  to  achieve  the  objectives  for  ageing  well  in  the  information  society.  Member 
States are invited to actively support and implement the actions. The European Parliament is 
invited to support strengthening the rights and opportunities of older people in the information 
society, in the context of legislative frameworks and EU programmes, and to thus enable the 
full participation of all in Europe's economy and society.  

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