COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Taking forward the Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing
Date: 2012-02-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, elderly person, gerontology, health care, health expenditure, innovation, population ageing, quality of life

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 29.2.2012  
COM(2012) 83 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

Taking forward the Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation 
Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing 

 
 
 
 
  
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

Taking forward the Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation 
Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

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

The Strategic Implementation Plan.............................................................................. 4 

Setting up the necessary support framework ............................................................... 5 

3.1. 

Support at EU level ...................................................................................................... 5 

3.1.1.  Favourable regulatory framework................................................................................ 5 

3.1.2.  Effective funding mechanisms..................................................................................... 7 

3.1.3.  Marketplace: evidence base, data and innovative ideas............................................... 9 

3.2. 

Support at national, regional and local level.............................................................. 10 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Launching actions on the ground ............................................................................... 11 

Launch of "invitations for commitment" ................................................................... 11 

Reference sites ........................................................................................................... 12 

Monitoring and assessment of progress ..................................................................... 13 

Governance for effective implementation.................................................................. 13 

Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 15 

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List of Abbreviations 

AAL – Ambient Assisted Living 

CIP - Competitiveness and Innovation Programme 

COM – Communication 

DFA – Design for all 

EIP – European Innovation Partnership 

EIT - European Institute of Innovation and Technology 

EP – European Parliament 

ERDF – European Regional Development Fund 

EU – European Union 

FP7 – Framework Programme for Research  

GDP – Gross Domestic Product 

HLY – Healthy Life Year 

ICT – Information and Communications Technologies 

KICs - Knowledge and Innovation Communities 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

Demographic  ageing  is  one  of  the  most  serious  challenges  Europe  is  facing.  According  to 
recent  projections,  the  number  of  Europeans  aged  65  and  over  will  almost  double  over  the 
next  50  years,  from  87  million  in  2010  to  148  million  in  20601.  This  trend  represents  a 
challenge  for  public  authorities,  policy  makers,  businesses  and  the  non-profit  sector, 
especially as it comes at a time of increasing pressure on public budgets, a steady decline in 
the  number  of  health  personnel2  and  growing  demands  from  older  people  for  care  products 
and services. 

If  this  demographic  transition  is  not  tackled  head-on,  it  will  raise  considerable  concerns  for 
the  financial  sustainability  of  health  and  care  systems.  Public  spending  on  health  already 
accounts for 7.8% of GDP in the EU, and by 2060, public expenditure on acute health care 
and long-term care is expected to increase by 3 % of GDP due to ageing3.  

Supporting  active  and  healthy  ageing  is  important  both  to  improve  the  quality  of  life  of 
elderly  citizens  and  help  them  contribute  to  society  as  they  grow  older;  and  to  reduce 
unsustainable pressure on health systems.  

The Commission has launched, among other initiatives, the European Innovation Partnerships 
within the Innovation Union, one of the flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 strategy, with 
the  objective  of  accelerating  innovation  to  address  a  well  defined  target  within  a  grand 
societal challenge4.  

The  European  Innovation  Partnership  on  Active  and  Healthy  Ageing  (the  Partnership)  has 
been  selected  as  a  pilot  to  tackle  the  challenge  of  an  ageing  population.  It  sets  a  target  of 
increasing the healthy lifespan of EU citizens by 2 years by 2020, and aims to pursue a triple 
win  for  Europe  by  improving  health  and  quality  of  life  of  older  people,  improving  the 
sustainability and efficiency of care systems and creating growth and market opportunities for 
businesses5. The Partnership brings together public and private stakeholders to accelerate the 
deployment of major innovations by committing them to undertaking supply and demand side 
measures  across  sectors  and  the  entire  innovation  system.  The  Partnership  is  neither  a  new 
funding  programme  or  instrument  nor  a  new  legal  entity,  and  does  not  replace  existing 
decision-making processes. 

The  Partnership  is  a  distinctive  opportunity  to  help  deliver  on  the  policy  objectives  of  the 
Europe  2020  flagships:  the  Innovation  Union,  Digital  Agenda  for  Europe6,  New  Skills  for 
New  Jobs7  and  the  European  Platform  against  Poverty  and  Social  Exclusion8.  Its  objectives 

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http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat  
Green Paper on the European Workforce for Health COM(2008) 725 final of 10.12.2008 
Ageing Report 2009: http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication14992_en.pdf  
Commission Communications: “Europe 2020. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” 
COM (2010)2020 final of 3.3.2010, “Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative. Innovation Union” COM (2010) 
546 final of 6.10.2010 
COM(2010)546 final on Innovation Union. 
Commission Communication "A Digital Agenda for Europe" COM (2010) 245 final of 26.10.2010 
Commission  Communication  "An  Agenda  for  new  skills  and  jobs:  A  European  contribution  towards 
full employment" COM (2010) 682 final of 23.11.2010 
Commission  Communication  "European  Platform  against  Poverty  and  Social  Exclusion:  A  European 
framework for social and territorial cohesion" COM (2010) 758 final of 16.12.2010 

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and  approach  are  also  in  line  with  the  principles  and  goals  of  the  EU  Health  Strategy 
"Together for health"9 and the Partnership represents a significant contribution from the EU to 
achieving  the  objectives  of  the  European  Year  for  Active  Ageing  and  Solidarity  between 
Generations in 201210.  

This Communication is the Commission's response to the Strategic Implementation Plan11, the 
first landmark document of the Partnership.  

2. 

THE STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 

The Strategic Implementation Plan (the Plan) that was adopted by the Partnership's Steering 
Group  in  November  2011,  focuses  on  actions  developed  around  3  pillars:  prevention, 
screening  and  early  diagnosis;  care  and  cure;  and  active  ageing  and  independent  living. 
Within  each  pillar,  it  sets  out  the  following  limited  number  of  specific  actions  (see  table 
below) to be implemented from 2012. These thematic pillars are complemented with a set of 
cross-cutting priorities, such as framework conditions, evidence and funding. 

Pillar 

Priority Action Area 

Specific Action 

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Health literacy, patient empowerment, ethics 
and adherence programmes, using innovative 
tools and services 

Identifying innovative solutions to ensure 
better adherence to treatment at regional 
level 

Personalised health management 

Finding innovative solutions to better 
manage own health and prevent falls by 
older people 

Prevention and early diagnosis of functional 
decline, both physical and cognitive, in older 
people 

Helping the prevention of functional decline 
and frailty 

Capacity building and replicability of 
successful integrated care systems based on 
innovative tools and services 

Promoting integrated care models for 
chronic diseases, including the use of 
remote monitoring at regional level 

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Extending active and independent living 
through Open and Personalised solutions 

Developing ICT solutions to help older 
people stay independent more active and 
mobile for longer 

Thematic marketplace: Innovation for age 
friendly buildings, cities and environments 

Promoting innovation for age friendly and 
accessible buildings, cities and 
environments 

Commission White Paper of 23 October 2007 “Together for Health: A Strategic Approach for the EU 
2008-2013”, COM (2007) 630 final of 23.10.2007 
Decision No 940/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2011 on the 
European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (2012) 
Strategic 
union/pdf/active-healthy-ageing/steering-group/implementation_plan.pdf#view=fit&pagemode=none; 
Operational  Part: 
group/operational_plan.pdf#view=fit&pagemode=none 

http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/pdf/active-healthy-ageing/steering-

http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-

Implementation 

Strategic 

Part: 

Plan 

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This is a first stage in the Partnership results. The Commission expects that other actions will 
be identified, implementation of which should build on the experience of this first phase. In 
addition, valuable feedback should be taken into account in the progress of this Partnership in 
the light of other EIPs. 

The  Commission  welcomes  the  Plan,  and  through  this  Communication  affirms  its 
commitment  to  the  Plan's  implementation.  The  Partnership  is  an  opportunity  to  accelerate 
innovation and exploit synergies within and across the different priorities and policies at EU, 
national and regional level. The Partnership has a valuable role in delivering critical mass and 
attracting political recognition to active and healthy ageing. It has already delivered important 
added value by establishing a shared positive vision on ageing and providing a comprehensive 
framework  for  action  jointly  agreed  by  multiple  stakeholders.  The  challenge  ahead  is  to 
demonstrate the full value of this Partnership. 

3. 

SETTING UP THE NECESSARY SUPPORT FRAMEWORK 

The  precise  support  that  will  be  needed  to  turn  actions  under  the  Partnership  into  a  success 
will depend on the concrete projects submitted in the next phase. Discussions in preparation 
of  the  Plan  made  it  clear  that  a  strong  supportive  framework  at  European  as  well  as  at 
national, regional and local level is essential.  

The Plan thus lists the following framework conditions to be particularly relevant: 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

addressing regulatory issues that have been identified as potential barriers or enablers 

fostering the establishment of a shared and robust evidence base 

aligning existing funding instruments and optimising their efficiency 

enabling the exchange and transfer of good practices.  

3.1. 

Support at EU level 

3.1.1.  Favourable regulatory framework 

The Commission's legislative proposal12 to revise EU data protection law13 defends the need 
for a specific approach to health data based on ensuring the right of individuals to protection, 
access  and  use  of  their  personal  information,  including  health  data,  and  enabling  the 
legitimate interests of public health protection, scientific research and development of health 
services. 

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13 

Proposal for a Regulation to the European parliament and the Council on the protection of individuals 
with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data COM(2012)11 
final of 21.01.2012; Proposal for a Directive of the EP and the Council on the protection of individuals 
with regard to the processing of personal data COM(2012)10 final of 21.01.2012 
Directive  95/46/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  24  October  1995  on  the 
protection of  individuals  with  regard  to  the  processing of  personal  data and on  the free  movement  of 
such data. OJ L 281, 23.11.1995 

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The recently adopted Directive for patients rights in cross border care14 has set up a network 
of  Member  States  working  on  eHealth  whose  main  objective  is  to  contribute  to  enhanced 
interoperability  of  eHealth  systems  across  border,  which  will  support,  among  others,  the 
Plan's priorities on integrated care and independent living. 

Purchasing innovative and accessible solutions by public procurers15 at national, regional and 
local level has been identified as a key driver in speeding up the introduction of innovation to 
the market and the return on investment to innovative firms. Through its proposed revision of 
the legislation on public procurement16, the Commission foresees more suitable conditions for 
innovative  purchases,  such  as  a  new  procedure  for  innovation  partnerships,  an  ad  hoc,  light 
public procurement regime for social services, and a clearer legal framework for joint cross-
border public procurement.  

In the future Horizon 202017, the Commission also proposes financial support for the public 
procurement of research and innovation which could be used for this Partnership. 

Developing  specific  incentive  schemes  at  the  appropriate  levels  is  critical  to  enable 
implementation  of  actions  as  identified  in  the  Plan  (e.g.  evidence-based  integrated  care, 
deployment of aged-related tools and services). 

Standards  and  interoperable  solutions  are  another  set  of  vital  framework  conditions.  The 
Commission  considers  inadequate  technical  standards,  or  a  lack  thereof,  to  be  a  barrier  and 
commits to supporting the development of a new EU framework for interoperability testing, 
quality  labelling  and  certification  of  eHealth,  integrated  care,  independent  living  and  active 
ageing solutions  and platforms. It will work  closely with the  relevant fora and consortia, in 
the  context  of  the  new  EU  Standardisation  framework18,  to  accelerate  the  adoption  of 
standards  and  the  development  of  interoperability  guidelines,  profiles  and  specifications  in 
eHealth (including integrated care) and independent living. 

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Directive  of  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  2011/24/EU  of  93.2011  on  the  application  of 
patients' rights in cross-border healthcare 
Innovative  public  procurement  means  that  the  public  sector  takes  on  the  role  and  risks  of  a  lead 
customer, while improving the quality of its services and productivity. 
Proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  public  procurement 
COM(2011) 896 final of 20.12.2011 
Communication  on  Horizon  2020  -  The  Framework  Programme  for  Research  and  Innovation 
COM(2011) 808 final of 30.11.2011 
A  strategic  vision  for  European  standards:  Moving  forward  to  enhance  and  accelerate  the  sustainable 
growth of the European economy by 2020 COM(2011) 311 final of 1.6.2011; COM(2011) 315 final of 
1.06.2011 Regulation proposal on European Standardisation 

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To support the set-up of favourable framework conditions, the Commission will: 

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take  into  account  the  objectives  and  priorities  of  the  Partnership  as  defined  in  the 
Plan  in  the  revision  of  relevant  EU  legislation  such  as  on  medical  devices19  and  a 
proposal for a European Accessibility Act20; 

accelerate  standards  development  under  the  standardisation  mandates  on  ICT,  built 
environment and mainstreaming accessibility following "design for all" concepts and 
propose mandates21 in eHealth and independent living. A first set of new standards 
for accessibility should be in place by 2013; 

support relevant stakeholders at appropriate levels in developing specific incentives 
schemes to enable deployment of solutions; 

support the development of standardised terminologies, data, clinical information and 
medical models as well as support public authorities in undertaking pre-commercial 
procurement and the procurement of innovative solutions, through the EU’s research 
and innovation programmes; 

support  work  with  public  and  private  sector  stakeholders  to  improve  forecasting  of 
health workforce needs and to adapt skills and competences to new care patterns and 
new technologies; 

make use of the instruments  foreseen under Article 14 of the Directive on patients' 
rights  in  the  cross  border  care  to  support  implementation  of  relevant  actions 
identified in the Plan. 

3.1.2.  Effective funding mechanisms 

The Plan is one of the reference documents to be considered in the decision-making processes 
under  the  relevant  EU  funding  programmes  and  initiatives  in  the  field  of  health  and  social 
policy,  research  and  innovation,  ICT,  competitiveness  and  market  growth,  structural  and 
regional  policies.  The  Commission  has  already  started  to  align  such  instruments  and  will 
continue to pursue this systematically in order to optimise the impact of funding, and will take 
full account of relevant aspects of the Plan to contribute to its objectives and vision. 

The  Commission  is  already  linking  up  advanced  and  applied  research  and  large  scale 
validation of innovation for the Plan's actions: 

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Council Directive of 20 June 1990 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to 
active  implantable  medical  devices  (90/385/EEC);  Council  Directive  93/42/EEC  of  14  June  1993 
concerning  medical  devices;  Directive  of  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  98/79/EC  of  27 
October 1998 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices. 
The  Commission  is  currently  running  the  public  consultation  on  the  development  of  a  European 
Accessibility Act containing measures to improve the accessibility of goods and services to all citizens, 
including older people. 
These already include Mandate 376 (Accessibility requirements for public procurement of products and 
services  in  the  ICT  domain);  Mandate  420  (Accessibility  requirements  for  public  procurement  in  the 
Built Environment); Mandate 473 (to include Accessibility following DFA in relevant standardization 
activities). 

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the  Framework  Programme  for  Research  (FP7)  has  earmarked  €  220  million  on 
health research that can be relevant for the Partnership;  

the ICT part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) has allocated € 
24  million  in  the  2012  work  programme  for  actions  directly  relevant  to  the 
Partnership; 

the Health Programme work plan for 2012 allocates € 4 million for aligning health 
promotion, in particular on existing integrated care solutions; 

the  Commission's  contributes  €  25million  p.a.  to  the  work  programmes  of  the 
Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme, which covers areas of high relevance to 
the Partnership. 

The Commission will seek to strengthen its pursuit of the EU Health Strategy22 objective to 
foster good health in an ageing Europe as well as to reduce inequalities23 and increase patient 
empowerment. The Health for Growth programme as proposed by the Commission24 should 
continue to support the objectives and framework for action on ageing, as detailed in the Plan. 

The  Commission  has  proposed  a  Decision  on  the  Strategic  Innovation  Agenda  of  the 
European  Institute  of  Innovation  and  Technology  (EIT)  for  2014-202025  identifying 
"Innovation  for  healthy  living  and  active  ageing"  as  one  of  the  priority  themes  for  the  EIT 
Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) wave in 2014-2015. 

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COM (2007) 630 final of 23.10.2007 
Commission  Communication  "Solidarity  and  Health:  reducing  health  inequalities  in  the  EU"  COM 
(2009)567 final of 20.10.2009  
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a Health for 
Growth Programme, the third multi-annual programme of EU action in the field of health for the period 
2014-2020 COM(2011) 709 final of 9.11.2011 
COM(2011) 822 final of 30.11.2011 

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To support efficient use of funding mechanisms, the Commission: 

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will ensure the effective use of funding allocated to the Partnership Plan priorities, in 
particular  the  ICT  part  of  the  CIP  in  support  of  the  validation  and  deployment  of 
services,  interoperability,  evidence  aggregation  and  capacity  building;  the  AAL 
Joint  Programme,  the  FP7  for  ICT  research  in  2013  and  Health  Programme  for 
2012-2013; 

will  take  account  of  relevant  priorities  of  the  Plan  together  with  input  from  other 
stakeholders  for  future  research  and  innovation  work  programmes  and  instruments 
(i.e. Horizon 2020); 

has proposed to provide support for specific actions in line with its objectives, under 
the Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing in the scope of the Health for Growth 
Programme; 

has proposed in the Connecting Europe Facility to finance support from 2014 for the 
roll-out of trans-European digital services infrastructures which enable cross-border 
telemedicine/-monitoring26. 

3.1.3.  Marketplace: evidence base, data and innovative ideas 

In  order  to  facilitate  exchange  of  ideas  and  cooperation  of  partners,  irrespective  of  specific 
actions submitted under the Partnership, the Commission will set up a digital based platform 
open to all stakeholders ("marketplace"). This platform will help stakeholders to find partners, 
share practices and projects, access robust data and evidence, and link to other innovation and 
age-related platforms. Interested actors who are not in a position to mobilise sufficient critical 
mass  in  order  to  be  directly  involved  in  implementation  of  the  Plan  will  be  invited  to 
participate in and contribute to this marketplace.  

To accelerate the uptake of innovation, the Commission considers that it is also necessary to 
step  up  the  collection  and  sharing  of  high-quality  comparable  data  and  evidence,  and 
cooperate on their analysis and dissemination in support of the implementation of the Plan's 
actions.  

The Commission will: 

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set  up  a  "marketplace"  to  partner  up  different  actors,  encourage  transfer  and 
exchange of good ideas and practices and disseminate validated evidence, from  2nd 
quarter of 2012; 

contribute to the collection, categorisation and analysis of relevant evidence and data, 
and their open and shared access, from 2013, with the support of the Joint Research 
Centre and the Partnership's stakeholders; 

support  and  facilitate  cooperation  among  stakeholders  in  undertaking  the  Plan's 
specific  action  on  age-friendly  innovative  and  accessible  solutions  for  cities  and 

Proposal for a Regulation establishing the Connecting Europe Facility COM(2011) 665 of 19.10.2011 

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regions, from mid 2012. 

3.2. 

Support at national, regional and local level 

The success of the Partnership will depend on the actions taken at national, regional and local 
level. Determined support at these levels is therefore of crucial importance. The Commission 
would like to draw the Member States and regions' attention to existing possibilities under the 
Structural  Funds  to  support  research,  innovation  and  other  measures  for  active  and  healthy 
ageing.  These  include  eHealth  initiatives  and  investment  in  health  system  reforms, 
infrastructure27 and human capital to improve health prevention, diagnosis and care.  

The Commission's proposal for a cohesion policy package (2014-2020) identifies active and 
healthy ageing and innovation amongst its investment priorities, providing additional scope to 
develop  synergies  between  the  Partnership  and  the  Structural  Funds  in  this  regard.  This 
proposal further foresees health as a funding area under the European Regional Development 
Fund  and  European  Social  Fund,  and  provides  for  ex-ante  conditionalities  requiring  a 
demonstrated  research and innovation strategy for smart specialisation28 and national and/or 
regional  health  strategy  at  the  time  of  setting  spending  priorities29.  Member  States  are 
therefore  encouraged  to  consider  active  and  healthy  ageing  measures  in  their  Operational 
Programmes  for  the  period  2014-2020  that  can  help  deliver  the  objectives  of  the  Structural 
Funds programmes. 

With financing still available in many programmes, within the current programming period, 
(in  particular  active  ageing,  health  infrastructure,  e-health),  the  Commission  further 
encourages  stakeholders  to  use  Structural  Funds  in  order  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  the 
Partnership.  

The  Partnership  can  provide  input  to  and  be  inspired  by  appropriate  specific  incentives, 
payment  and/or  reimbursement  schemes  by  private  and  public  providers  and  stimulate  the 
active  use  of  innovation  procurement  (i.e.  pre-commercial  procurement,  public  procurement 
of innovative solutions)30.  

The  Commission  encourages  Member  States  (including  relevant  national  and  regional 
authorities) to: 

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work towards better alignment and synergies of their funding instruments with EU 
funding  initiatives;  this  includes  their  research  and  innovation  programmes,  in 
particular in connection with relevant Joint Programming Initiatives and AAL; 

make  effective  use  of  Structural  Funds,  in  line  with  the  Partnership  priorities,  as 
appropriate, in particular with a view to: 

A total of € 5.29 billion available in ERDF for support to health infrastructures (together with eHealth 
measures under the € 5.32 billion allocation for eGovernment in general).  
The  development  of  a  research  and  innovation  strategy  for  smart  specialisation  is  set  as  an  ex  ante 
conditionality  for  two  thematic  objectives  of  the  future  Cohesion  Policy  financed  by  the  ERDF: 
Strengthening research, technological development and innovation (R&D target) and Enhancing access 
to and use and quality of ICT (Broadband target). 
COM(2011)615 final of 6.10.2011 (Annex IV, points 1 and 10.2)  
Communication on Pre-commercial Procurement: Driving innovation to ensure sustainable high quality 
public services in Europe COM(2007) 799 final of 14.12.2007 

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– 

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– 

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enhancing the use, quality, interoperability of and access to ICT including e-
health, and strengthening research, technological development and innovation; 

promoting  social  inclusion  and  combating  poverty,  including  through 
investing in health and social infrastructure; 

promoting  measures  to  fight  against  discrimination  of  older  people  both  in 
accessing the labour market and in the work place (e.g. innovative, accessible 
and age-friendly forms of work organisation, longer healthier working lives); 

fostering investments to modernise national and regional health systems, and 
giving  priority  to  a  shift  from  institutional  care  to  community-based  care, 
while enhancing independent living. 

• 

• 

consider  including  the  Partnership  priorities  and  objectives  among  their  strategic 
priorities in order to make use of structural funds;  

engage  in  the  activities  of  the  Partnership  through  the  procurement  of  more 
innovative and efficient solutions.  

4. 

LAUNCHING ACTIONS ON THE GROUND 

It  is  critical  that  health  authorities,  patient  groups,  businesses,  entrepreneurs,  healthcare 
professionals, older people and other stakeholders play a strong role in the implementation of 
the Plan.  

Participation in the Partnership provides an opportunity for all stakeholders involved at EU, 
national, regional and local levels to benefit from political support, share risks, lower costs by 
increased  economies  of  scale  and  sharing  of  solutions,  as  well  as  save  time  and  effort  and 
increase credibility by joint collection and dissemination of evidence. 

The Commission proposes two distinct modalities to deliver the Plan31: 

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the design and launch of "invitations for commitment" 

the identification and assessment of candidate "reference sites". 

"Invitations for commitment" will focus on implementing specific actions of the Plan, while 
"reference  sites"  will  provide  an  inspiration  through  examples  of  existing  and  successful 
integrated solutions to active and healthy ageing. 

4.1. 

Launch of "invitations for commitment" 

The  Plan  called  on  the  Commission  to  launch  “invitations  for  commitment”,  open  to  all 
stakeholders, concerning the specific actions identified in the Strategic Implementation Plan32.  

31 

32 

A  Partnership  online  presence  will  report  on  the  Partnership  progress  and  outcomes,  provide 
information on innovation in active and healthy ageing, and provide a repository for validated evidence 
(Cf. http://ec.europa.eu/active-healthy-ageing and Twitter @EIP_AHA) 
See Strategic Implementation Plan 

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A commitment is a measurable and concrete engagement in support of an action or a group of 
actions in order to deliver on the objectives and deliverables identified in the Plan. It will be 
submitted following the "invitations for commitment" requiring fulfilment of the Partnership 
criteria (i.e. engagement, inclusiveness and partnership, critical mass, delivery, advocacy).  

The "invitations for commitment" will be launched upon the adoption of this Communication 
and will remain open for at least two months, re-opening on a periodic basis.  

The participants in the specific actions will form Action Groups – one for each specific action 
-,  and  through  an  Action  Plan  will  commit  to  running  a  number  of  activities  contributing 
towards  the  headline  target.  Interested  stakeholders  whose  commitments  do  not  meet  the 
criteria will be invited to the "marketplace" (see 3.1.3.) in order to fulfil the requirements. 

4.2. 

Reference sites 

The Commission suggests that regions, cities, integrated hospitals/care organisations that aim 
at  providing  a  comprehensive,  innovation-based  approach  to  active  and  healthy  ageing  and 
can  give  evidence  and  concrete  illustrations  of  their  impact  on  the  ground,  merit  specific 
attention as a form of "reference sites". They could contribute significantly to understanding 
the  synergies  between  different  actions  and  the  added  value  of  a  holistic  approach.  These 
should have the potential to demonstrate breakthrough solutions within a short time frame, be 
assessed  by  peers  as  frontrunners  through  an  independent,  widely  accepted  and  commonly 
agreed assessment methodology, and be further tested and rolled out on a larger scale. 

The  reference  sites  should  build  a  coalition  involving  various  actors  active  so  far  in  the 
Partnership  (professionals,  patients,  carers  and  families,  technology  providers,  healthcare 
managers and providers, academic experts, and public authorities), and be willing to: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

implement a substantial part of the actions of the Plan in an integrated way, and 
commit  to  substantial  investments  (financial  and  human)  by  participants  in 
their coalition, 

perform  an  assessment  of  the  outcomes  and  impacts  according  to  a  shared 
approach,  exchange  practices,  share  information,  make  outcomes  and  impact 
data publicly available (open data), 

cooperate with others across Europe, 

present a list of results/outcomes to be delivered in the 2013-2015 timeframe. 

As results emerge from Action groups and reference sites, they will provide feedback to help 
adjust and improve framework conditions as well as accelerate the uptake of innovation. This 
could  entail,  inter  alia,  recommendations  to  scale-up  certain  activities,  to  coordinate 
demonstrations  and  pilots  in  certain  areas,  to  replicate  results  in  other  sites,  to  fast-track 
particular  standards  or  to  aggregate  demand  and  coordinate  public  procurement  in  selected 
areas. 

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To take forward implementation of the actions, the Commission will: 

• 

• 

• 

launch "invitations for commitment" for the specific actions as defined in the Plan at 
the end of February 2012; 

launch an "invitation for expressions of intent" for candidate reference sites by the 
end of February 2012;  

organise  the  selection  of  the  candidate  Partnership  reference  sites  by  2013,  in 
cooperation with stakeholders. 

5. 

MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS 

The Commission, with support of the Joint Research Centre,  will  develop a  monitoring and 
assessment framework. This framework should facilitate the establishment of causal links and 
measurement of impacts between individual actions run by stakeholders and the Partnership's 
main  objectives33,  and  connect  the  specific  actions  of  the  Plan  with  the  Partnership  key 
objectives.  

The  monitoring  and  assessment  framework  will  be  based  on  a  multi-dimensional  approach, 
with various levels, and with multiple indicators and targets/specific objectives. It will involve 
stakeholders  implementing  actions  to  report  their  progress  towards  defined  deliverables  and 
the headline target (+2 HLYs) of the Partnership on an annual basis. These will also serve as 
an  input  to  the  regular  reporting  of  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council. 

To monitor and measure progress, the Commission will: 

• 

• 

• 

build,  with  support  of  the  Joint  Research  Centre,  a  monitoring  and  assessment 
framework, drawing on the various actions undertaken by stakeholders in line with 
the  priority  action  areas  identified  in  the  Plan,  taking  account  of  their  timeline  and 
nature; 

propose a first version of this monitoring and assessment framework by early 2013; 

report on the progress of the Plan's implementation, to the European Parliament and 
the Council on an annual basis, starting from early 2013. 

6. 

GOVERNANCE FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION  

Throughout the first year of the Partnership, many lessons on governance and processes have 
been learnt, including on the Partnership's relations with existing initiatives and instruments; 
and  notably  that  the  Steering  Group  should  be  effective  and  efficient  while  ensuring 
representativeness, with feedback mechanisms to the wider groups of stakeholders; and that as 

33 

'A triple win for Europe': better health and quality of life of EU citizens, more sustainable care systems, 
and greater competitiveness and growth opportunities for EU companies. 

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clear monitoring arrangements are needed34. These have led to adjustments in the governance 
for the next phase of this Partnership.  

The  implementation  of  the  Plan  will  be  driven  by  a  range  of  different  partners:  those 
committing  to  the  actions,  the  reference  sites,  standard-setting  bodies,  relevant  initiatives, 
Commission and Member State authorities through, for example, their funding programmes, 
regulatory and public procurement competences.  

Member 
States

Regions

U
E

e
h
t

f
o

l
i
c
n
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o
C

Conference of Partners

Steering Group

Action Groups

n
o
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s
s
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m
m
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C
n
a
e
p
o
r
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European 
Parliament

Within  the  specific  actions  of  the  Plan,  the  Commission  will  bring  together  Action  Groups 
(see  4.1)  that  assemble  partners  committed  to  run  priority  actions  realising  common 
objectives,  and  will  provide  an  opportunity  to  drive  the  Plan's  different  priorities  through 
stronger  political  leadership  and  advocacy.  Action  Groups  will  establish  their  working 
methods and governance, with the Commission services facilitating the process. 

The Commission will organise a Conference of Partners – gathering committed and involved 
Partnership stakeholders - on an annual basis as from end 2012 to discuss and decide on the 
issues related to the Plan's implementation, future actions and governance. 

The current Steering Group has fulfilled its initial mandate in preparing the Plan. However a 
coordinating group is still needed to ensure a strategic overview of the progress and synergies 
across  the  various  Action  Groups.  Given  the  current  pilot  stage  of  the  Partnership,  the 
Commission proposes that the Steering Group continues (interim) until the first Conference of 
Partners in order to ensure rapid progress during the start-up phase of the Actions Groups.  

The  Commission  will  ensure  the  overall  monitoring  and  regular  formal  reporting  to,  and 
interaction  with,  the  European  Parliament  and  Council,  and  will  pursue  close,  reinforced 
working 
their  relevant  formations  and  representatives.  The 
Commission  services  will  continue  working  closely  with  the  national  governments,  regions 
and  a  wide  range  of  stakeholders  in  order  to  implement  the  innovative  vision  of  the 
Partnership and deliver the actions identified in the Plan. 

level  cooperation  with 

34 

Commission  Staff  Working  Paper  "The  pilot  European  Innovation  Partnership  on  Active  and  healthy 
Ageing: first experiences on governance and process", SEC(2011) 1028 final of 1.9.2011 

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To ensure delivery of actions as set in the Plan, the Commission will: 

• 

• 

7. 

put  in  place  a  simple  and  flexible  governance  model  (Action  Groups,  interim 
Steering Group, Conference of Partners) to operationally and strategically guide the 
two modalities for the Plan implementation from first quarter of 2012; 

provide a progress report on the EIP by 2013. 

CONCLUSION 

European  institutions,  Member  States  and  all  stakeholders  need  to  respond  together  and 
within  their  respective  roles,  to  the  challenges  that  ageing  population  represents.  The 
Commission  has  in  this  Communication  set  out  its  response  by  proposing  governance 
arrangements  for  effective 
implementation,  suggested  a  monitoring  and  assessment 
framework  to  ensure  timely  delivery  of  objectives  and  headline  target,  proposed  the 
improvement  and  development  of  framework  conditions  and  singled  out  the  added-value  of 
EU interventions. 

Through the implementation of the Plan, the Commission expects to see a major acceleration 
of  innovation  for  healthy  and  active  ageing  and  progress  towards  achieving  the  Partnership 
headline target and objectives. This requires new forms of cooperation among the many actors 
concerned – those already involved in the preparation of the Plan and those ready to engage in 
its implementation. 

Valuable  experiences  have  been  gained  in  the  development  of  this  Partnership  and  its 
implementation.  The  Commission  will  continue  to include  these  lessons  in  its  proposals  for 
the development and design of future EIPs addressing other societal challenges, as set out in 
the Innovation Union strategy. The Commission will organise a review of all the EIPs during 
2013 to take stock of progress.  

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