REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations
Date: 2014-09-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European cultural event, elderly person, population ageing, social integration, social participation, working population













EUR-Lex - 52014DC0562 - EN











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52014DC0562

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations /* COM/2014/0562 final */









REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE
AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
on the implementation, results and overall
assessment of the 2012 European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between
Generations

1.                      
Introduction

Rising life
expectancy combined with low birth rates will result in a considerable ageing
of Europe's population. The fact that ageing is first of all a major
achievement, in particular as it reflects successes in reducing mortality, and
the potentials of a growing number of fit and healthy older people tend to be
overlooked. Instead, this is often perceived as a threat to the dynamism of the
economy and the sustainability of Europe's highly developed welfare systems.
In this context,
the Commission had proposed, in September 2010[1], to designate
the year 2012 as the European Year for Active Ageing. It stressed that the
preservation of solidarity between generations will in particular depend on
ensuring that the baby-boom cohorts stay longer in the labour market and remain
healthy, active and autonomous as long as possible. The Council and the
European Parliament adopted the decision on this European Year in September
2011[2],
adding 'solidarity between generations' to its title. 
In accordance
with the Decision establishing the European Year for Active Ageing and
Solidarity between Generations (hereafter the ‘EY2012’ or ‘the Year’), this
report reviews the implementation, results and overall achievements of the
Year, building on the conclusions of an external evaluation[3].

2.                      
BACKGROUND
2.1.                
Preparation of the Year

The first calls
for a European Year for active ageing and solidarity between generations were
made during the Slovenian presidency in the first semester of 2008. In June 2009,
the Commission launched a public consultation with the aim of collecting ideas
and suggestions from the key stakeholders and experts on how to achieve the
greatest possible impact with a European Year for Active Ageing and
Intergenerational Solidarity. 
The Council
signalled its interest in such an initiative in November 2009 when it invited
the Commission to develop awareness-raising activities to promote active
ageing, including through a European Year.[4]
The choice of
the themes had a comprehensive approach – employment, health and independent
living, participation, intergenerational solidarity – and was consistent with
prior analyses and policy initiatives conducted on active ageing at EU level
and internationally, but also with issues of immediate concern, notably in the
context of the Europe2020 strategy. The inclusion of solidarity between
generations was promoted by the European Parliament[5].
The European
Year coincided with the tenth anniversary of the Madrid International Plan of
Action on Ageing[6]
which stressed that persons, as they age, should enjoy equal access to active
participation in the economic, social, cultural and political life of their
societies as a main development objective. 

2.2.                
The European Year 2012 and its objectives

The EY2012 sought
to address the challenges of an ageing Europe through active ageing in the
areas of employment, participation and independent living, looking both at the
needs and rights of older people as well as their potentials and their
contribution to the economy and society. 
The overall
objective of the Year was to mobilize relevant actors in the promotion of
active ageing and intergenerational solidarity. These actors include the Member
States, their regional and local authorities, social partners, civil society
and the business community, including small and medium-sized enterprises. 
The specific
objectives are set in Article 2 of the Decision and can be summarized as
follows: 
•          to
raise general awareness of the value of active ageing and ensure that it is accorded
a prominent position in the policy agenda;
•          to
stimulate debate, exchange information and develop mutual learning to promote
active ageing policies;
•          to
create a framework for commitment and concrete action by Union and Member
states with the involvement of stakeholders; 
•          to
promote activities which will help to combat age discrimination[7], to
overcome age-related stereotypes and to remove barriers. 

2.3.                
Resources 

The decision on
the EY2012 defined a budget envelope of five million euro for the period
between January 2011 and December 2012. No new credits were allocated to the
European Year, and the money was taken from existing financial appropriations.
The budget for the European Year was mainly used to finance the communication
activities of the Year (EU website, communications support to Member States,
publications, videos, press work, etc.), with smaller amounts being reserved
for the opening conference in Denmark and the closing event in Cyprus, as well
as the external evaluation of the Year. 
Compared to other
recent European Years, the EY2012 had a much lower budget. As a result, direct
funding to Member States was not available. However this did not diminish their
commitment to the EY2012. The money allocated to communication activities was
used to support numerous activities at the national level. 
Management
structures and tools employed at EU level were found appropriate and
well-functioning by the external evaluators.

3.                      
EUROPEAN YEAR 2012 IMPLEMENTATION AND KEY
ACTIVITIES 
3.1.                
Activities at EU level 

Most of the
activities at the EU-level were designed to support stakeholders in the Member
States and facilitate their participation in the European Year. The EU
programme was thus implemented in close cooperation with national coordinators
for the European Year and the Stakeholder Coalition. The main activity at
European level was a communication and promotional campaign implemented by a
contractor. 
The central hub
of this campaign was the EY website[8]
which presented information in 23 languages, although much of the content on
specific initiatives could only be made available in the national language of
the country concerned as well as in English. The website also proposed
promotional material for use by stakeholders at their own events. 
The communication
contractor maintained a media relations network with the aim of maximizing the
outreach to media (print/online/audiovisual) around key events; these were also
presented in a monthly newsletter.
Five
publications were released to support stakeholders. Two of them were ready
before the Year and offered facts and figures: the “Eurobarometer Special
Survey on Active Ageing” (covering 27 Member States and five non-EU countries
with EU country specific fact sheets)[9],
and Eurostat released a statistical portrait on active ageing and solidarity
between generations[10].
A brochure “How
to promote active ageing in Europe” jointly produced with the Committee of the
Regions and the Age Platform Europe was also published just before the year to
point stakeholders to EU funding schemes that could be relevant to active
ageing and invited in particular regional and local stakeholders to make the
best possible use of them. Indeed, one of the justifications for not having a
bigger budget for EY2012 was that many activities could be funded through
existing programmes.  
The Social
Europe Guide “Demography, active ageing and pensions”[11]
gave an overview of the main demographic trends faced by Europe and the policy
responses required to tackle the challenges arising from these trends. The
brochure on “The EU contribution to Active Ageing and Solidarity between
generations”[12]
presented in more detail the numerous EU initiatives that can support policy
makers and stakeholders in the Member States in implementing the active ageing
agenda. It emphasised that active ageing calls for policy interventions in many
different areas such as employment, pensions, education, health, innovation,
research, transport ICT and housing.
The European
Commission also organized several events and conferences throughout the year. The
external evaluation confirmed their strong contribution to the achievement of
the EY2012's objectives.
Entitled “Stay
Active – what does it take”, the opening event took place in Copenhagen on
18-19 January 2012, hosted by the Danish EU Presidency. The two-day programme
included speeches of two ministers of the Danish government and of two EU
Commissioners. Sessions addressed a range of themes, including labour market
issues, staying active and healthy, inclusion and empowerment, innovation and
volunteering. 
“Reporting on
ageing and solidarity between generations” was a conference held in Brussels on
the 19th and 20th March with the aim of providing an opportunity for
journalists to exchange views on how to cover issues related to active ageing
and solidarity between generations in the media. 
On 3 April 2012,
a Conference on the “European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing: From plan to action” sought to gather stakeholder feedback on how to
implement the actions of the Partnership. Commissioner László Andor gave an
opening speech highlighting synergies between the EY2012 and the Partnership.
The conference
on “Good governance for active and healthy ageing” (Brussels, 4 June 2012)
demonstrated that promoting active ageing calls for integrated policy-making,
involving different levels of government and different policy areas.
The conference
“Active ageing-the potential for society” held on 9-11 July 2012 in Dublin
opened by the European Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Ms Máire
Geoghegan Quinn, focused on the human and social aspects and implications of
active ageing as well as on the relationship between ageing, the economy and
innovation. The event also explored further research needs and launched the publication
“Population ageing in Europe: facts, implications and policies”, presenting the
outcomes of EU-funded research on demography.
The Commission
conference "One Step Up in later life: learning for active ageing and
intergenerational solidarity" (Brussels, 19-21 November 2012) attracted a
strong representation from: government authorities including the National
Coordinators for the implementation of the European Agenda for Adult Learning; 
international, European and national levels stakeholders; higher education and
research; social partners; businesses; and projects funded under the Lifelong
Learning Grundtvig Programme. The conference resulted in a Memorandum and a
series of background papers on learning for active and healthy ageing and
employment and intergenerational learning.
An awards
ceremony of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between
Generations took place on 13 November 2012 in Brussels. It highlighted
inspiring people and initiatives that made a significant contribution to active
ageing and solidarity between generations. The European Commissioner for
Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Mr László Andor, announced the
winners for the seven award categories.
The annual EU
Access City Award, handed over by Vice-President Viviane Reding on 3 December
2012, paid special attention to the accessibility needs of older persons. Representatives
of older persons’ organisations were included in the EU jury. The EY2012
closing event “From visions to actions” was held in Nicosia on 10 December 2012.
It started with a statement from the President of the Republic of Cyprus,
followed by a speech by Commissioner László Andor. The programme covered a
range of issues including the current situation of ageing in Europe and the
still untapped potentials of older people. 
Beyond the
activities initiated by the European Commission and the Presidencies, some
other institutions were also active during the Year, working closely with the
stakeholders coalition and civil society.
The European
Economic and Social Committee was particularly active during the European Year.
It created a group to coordinate activities related to the Year. This group has
organized five public events on different themes and a closing conference of
the Year.[13]
The Committee of
the Regions also made an important contribution to the Year, organizing a Forum
on the 14 February 2014[14]
with the aim of fostering new initiatives at the local and regional level and
building new partnerships for promoting active ageing and strengthening solidarity
between generations.
The EY2012
benefited also from the strong support of a broad coalition of civil society
organizations, led by Age Platform Europe, which grew to more than 60 members.
Members of the Coalition were engaged in numerous initiatives during the
European Year and developed a roadmap presented at the opening conference of
the Year on 18 January 2012 in Copenhagen.
The external
evaluation in chapter 3.6 highlighted the strong complementarity between the
EY2012 and other ongoing policy activities, such as the White Paper on
Pensions, the Demographic Forum, the 2nd Health Programme, the Accessibility
Act and, especially, the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy
Ageing.

3.2.                
Implementation in participating countries 

All participating
countries (27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) appointed
each a National Coordinator (NC). 
Their work
started well in advance of the European Year, with a first meeting held on 30
November of 2010. The NC prepared national activities, promoting local and
regional activities and trying to involve all relevant stakeholders in the
European Year. They presented national work programmes to the European
Commission outlining the national activities planned throughout 2012.[15]
The national
work programmes reflected different policy contexts, notably in terms of active
ageing needs, policy priorities and distribution of competences, and
availability of resources. The Commission proposed, however, some common events
and activities and supported in particular the organization national opening
and closing events as well as the “Generations at School” and “Seniorforce Day”
campaigns and the European award scheme. The external evaluation confirms the
relevance of the types of activities carried out. 
The opening
events involved on the whole 4500 participants with a high level of political
support demonstrated notably by the participation of high-level politicians.  
Fifteen
countries appointed 115 national Ambassadors of EY2012 in order to reach a
wider public. They came from varied backgrounds: academics, NGO
representatives, journalists, actors, businessmen. The number of ambassadors
appointed varied from one (in Estonia, Hungary and Poland) to 38 in Austria.
The
“Generations@school” initiative was proposed to celebrate the European Day of
Solidarity between Generations (29 April). The idea was to bring older people
into schools and to engage pupils and older people in an intergenerational
dialogue. It was an effective way to reach out to schools all over Europe and
to foster engagement with the Year at local level. It also helped to attract
the media attention, notably the local
media. The initiative was supported by the
Commission through its communication contractor which provided a dedicated website,
guidance material, resources and practical support for some local initiatives. 
The European
“Seniorforce Day” marked the International Day of Older Persons (1 October) and
sought to mobilize older people as volunteers. The Seniorforce Day initiative
has received wide support all over Europe with flagship events being attended
by senior politicians, officials, and NGO representatives and personalities
acting as EY2012 ambassadors. The European Commission supported 25 of these
events. However, the external evaluation showed that the take-up of this
initiative was not as broad as in the case of generations@school, possibly due
to the late announcement and less precise format of this initiative (see pages
52 and 79 of the external evaluation).
The EY2012
triggered a large number of initiatives for promoting active ageing in the
Member States. A total of 748 national and transnational initiatives were
implemented during the Year, counting only those featuring on the EU website.
Civil society organizations were the promoter for 291 of these initiatives.
Germany, Spain and Italy were the countries with most initiatives on the EU
website, followed by France, Austria and Poland. The focus of these activities
was mostly on exchanging knowledge and experience and on awareness-raising.
According to the
surveys conducted by the evaluator (see chapter 3.2 of the external evaluation),
the topic that received most attention was participation in society, followed
by intergenerational solidarity. The fact that the theme of the Year was broad
enough to allow a number of different topics to be covered was welcomed,
allowing stakeholders to choose something that was most relevant from their own
point of view. The evidence from the results of the online survey of National Coordinators
indicates that the types of activities undertaken were appropriate to the needs
of Member States and EU citizens. National Coordinators and stakeholders
responded that they were able to choose and tailor initiatives to their own
contexts and priorities, often with the support of the Commission’s
communications contractor.

3.3.                
Gender and social inclusion mainstreaming 

Gender
mainstreaming had been considered since the preparation phase of the EY2012 and
was well reflected in the Stakeholder Coalition and the work programmes of
several Member States, with specific attention being paid to the situation of
older women, although little attention has been directed to the experience of
older men. Women were well represented among the National Coordinators and
among speakers and participants at the events held during the EY (see chapter 5
of the external evaluation).
The EY2012 also
covered a wide range of issues related to disability, especially health and
independent living of older people. Both at EU and MS level, the initiatives
addressed disability directly and indirectly. The activities of the EY2012 by
and large ensured the accessibility of the events and considered various
aspects, such as sign language and transportation on various occasions. The EU website
contained options for larger fonts, but the external evaluation pointed out
that it could have been designed in an even more accessible way to a wider
range of people with disabilities such as blindness and low vision, deafness
and hearing loss.

4.                      
WHAT DID THE EY2012 ACHIEVE?
4.1.                
Has the EY2012 reached its objectives?

According to the
external evaluation the Year had a positive impact on the conditions for active
ageing, both at European and national level. The objectives and the activities
of the Year were relevant and the approach was successful in reaching the
objectives (awareness-raising, stimulating debate and mutual learning, creating
a framework for commitment and concrete action, combatting age-discrimination).
The objective of
raising awareness has been largely achieved through EU-level and
national initiatives and events, which were more often targeted to relevant
organisations and civil society groups than individuals. 
The
Generations@school initiative mobilised around 480 schools and an estimated
27.000 participants while the European award scheme triggered 1300 submissions
(including most of the generations@school events). The European “Seniorforce
Day” involved over 11.000 participants. These initiatives attracted much media
attention to the EY2012, drawing attention to success stories and positive
examples highlighted in the award scheme. Altogether, the EY2012 generated
significant press coverage with 6162 printed articles, 3432 on-line articles
and 329 broadcasts.
While the EU
website was an important resource for stakeholders, it attracted with 212,822
unique visitors fewer visitors than the EU websites of previous European Years (400,000
reported for the EY2010 and 366,172 for the EY2011). However, it should be
borne in mind that 19 countries had national websites. 
The degree of
engagement with social media on the part of citizens and stakeholder
representatives was limited at the EU level, but more significant in some
countries. In Spain for example, Facebook and Twitter accounts were created to
share and disseminate information on the EY2012. In the Spanish evaluation, it
was estimated that about 700.000 people were reached through these channels. 
The EY2012
succeeded in stimulating public debate and fostering mutual learning
around the themes of active ageing and solidarity between generations. In
particular, the opening events in Copenhagen and in the participating countries
had important multiplier effects. Numerous additional dialogue events were
organised throughout the Year in all participating countries. There was also a
strong focus on good practice dissemination. The EU database was a powerful
instrument to share information on success stories and positive examples. A
number of national and transnational projects promoted mutual learning
throughout the Year.
The need to
combat age-discrimination was highlighted in many public events and
throughout various projects. In this context, the importance of improving the
opportunities for active ageing in employment was particularly emphasized.
The EY2012
offered indeed a framework to make commitments and to take concrete action.
The mobilisation of civil society organisations around the theme of the EY can
be regarded as a major achievement. The involvement of regional and local
governments was also significant, but did not happen in all countries.
The EY2012
encouraged some countries to either strengthen an already existing national
policy agenda on active ageing and intergenerational solidarity or to develop
new strategies. Austria, for example, launched a Federal Plan for Senior
Citizens in January 2012. In Spain, a White Paper was adopted. It analysed the
main aspects that determine the quality of life of older people. 
A number of
countries launched policy programmes on the occasion of the EY: Belgium
established in November 2012 a new Federal Advisory Council for older people;
Ireland decided that every local authority area in the country should have its
own age-friendly county programme by the end of 2013; Poland adopted in August
2012 a government programme for senior citizens’ social activity for the years
2012-2013.

4.2.                
What is the legacy of the EY2012?

In the course of
the EY2012 several tools have been developed for future policy development. Some
successful events and activities had a new edition in 2013, such as the one
promoted at EU level “Generations@school”. Guidance for the development of
better policy responses to ageing was provided through the Guiding Principles
on Active Ageing, endorsed by the EU's Social Affairs Ministers on 6 December
2012[16].
The 19 Guiding
Principles are structured under the headings of the Year: employment,
participation in society, and independent living. They are addressed to Member
States and other relevant levels of government and organizations which have a
role to play in further improving conditions for active ageing. The application
of these Guiding Principles would also contribute to the attainment of the
employment and poverty reduction targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy, notably
as a result of more people being able to work longer and earning better pension
entitlements.
Another tool for
promoting the continued pursuit of the goals of the EY2012 was the development
of an Active Ageing Index (AAI)[17]
which was presented during the closing event and developed during the EY in
close cooperation with the United Nations Economic Committee for Europe (UNECE)
and the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research (Vienna). The
AAI measures different dimensions of active ageing and quantifies untapped
potentials for each country. The Index should help policy makers to identify
challenges and unrealized potentials for a more active participation of older
people in the economy and society and allow the monitoring of progress. The
development of the index continues, so that the index can be updated on the
basis of more recent data and possibly also calculated at sub-national levels.
The
EY2012 stakeholder Coalition presented a revised roadmap[18]
on 10 December 2012 at the Cyprus Presidency EY2012 closing conference in
Nicosia. It included numerous follow-up initiatives which continue to maintain
the momentum of the European Year. One of the initiatives is to develop a
covenant of mayors on demographic change, following the model of the covenant
of mayors on sustainable energy[19].
This would provide a framework allowing local and regional policy makers to
commit to taking new measures in response to ageing. This goal of establishing
such a covenant is now being pursued in the context of the European Innovation
Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing
(EIP AHA) and its action group on ‘Innovation for age-friendly, buildings
cities and environments’. [20]
The
EIP AHA represents a significant contribution from the EU to achieve the
objectives of the EY2012[21]. The
European Commission has identified an ageing population as a societal challenge
common to all European countries and has prioritised this in the Innovation
Union, one of flagship initiatives of Europe 2020. The overarching objective of
the Partnership is to increase by two years the average number of healthy life
years in the EU by 2020. The Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) of this
initiative sets out priority actions to meet the challenge of ageing through
innovation and focuses on three main areas: prevention, care and cure, and
independent living. Actions on active ageing developed in the context of the
EY2012 can continue within the wider framework of the EIP AHA and therefore
contributing to the Europe 2020 goals. 

5.                      
CONCLUSIONS

The European
Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations has managed to
mobilize numerous governmental and non-governmental actors. It has helped
convey a more positive image of population ageing by highlighting the
potentials of older people and promoting their active participation in society
and the economy.
Many Member
States and civil society organizations have used the European Year as an
opportunity to develop new initiatives or strengthen their existing ones. The
activities triggered by the EY2012 demonstrated the growing interest in active
ageing. Several tools have been or are being developed for this purpose, and in
particular the guiding principles on active ageing, the active ageing index,
the covenant on demographic change. 
Policy maker in
the Member States are invited to make the most of these tools. The EU will
continue to support them. This will take the form of policy guidance, notably
in the context of the European Semester where recommendations on longer careers
have been addressed to most Member States, as well as, more recently, country-specific
recommendations on long-term care. Active ageing is also an important area of
social investment, as has been emphasized in the Commission’s communication
‘Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion’[22]. In this
context the Commission urged Member States to use the Guiding Principles for
Active Ageing and Solidarity between the Generations and the Active Ageing
index. 
Active and
healthy ageing is, consequently, one of the investment priorities of the
European Social Fund (ESF) in the 2014-2020 programming period. Funding for
projects promoting active ageing is available under a wide range of different
EU programmes and financial instruments. One of the priorities of the European
Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing is to align these
programmes/instruments with the identified priorities on Active and healthy
ageing avoiding overlaps between the different instruments.[23]
Regarding the
independent living pillar of the EY2012, the Commission supports the Social
Protection Committee in producing a report on long-term care published  in June
2014. It examined how the gap between long-term care demand and supply can be
closed through appropriate investment in measures that reduce the need for
long-term care and enhance the efficiency of its delivery, including through
the use of technology enabled services[24].
 It also built on examples from the partners of the EIP AHA. Work on these
issues also continues in the context of the European Innovation Partnership on
Active and Healthy Ageing which shows how the EU can assist Member States by
facilitating the exchange of best practices, by researching and testing new
solutions and fostering technical and social innovation
The EY2012 has contributed
to establish active ageing firmly on the European and many national policy
agendas in a cross sectorial multi-stakeholder approach. This momentum needs to
be maintained. The strong solidarity between generations that characterise
Europe’s societies and welfare systems can only be sustained in the context of
ageing populations and tight budgets by promoting active ageing in all its
forms.
[1] COM(2010) 462 final
of 6 September 2010
[2] 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), Official
Journal L 246, 23/9/2011, p. 5-10
[3] Evaluation of the
European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012,
Ecorys, December 2012, based on the analysis of data from surveys with National
Coordinators and national stakeholders, interviews, desk research, social media
analysis and case studies.
[4] Council conclusions of 20
November 2009 on healthy and dignified ageing
[5] European Parliament
resolution of 11 November 2010 on the demographic challenge and solidarity
between generations (2010/2027(INI)) 
[6] United Nations Report
of the Second World Assembly on Ageing, Madrid, 8-12 April 2002. A/CONF.179/9
[7] See Council Directive
2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a general framework for equal
treatment in employment and occupation
[8] http://europa.eu/ey2012
[9] http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb_special_379_360_en.htm
[10] http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-EP-11-001
[11] http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&pubId=6805
[12]
http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=8710&langId=en
[13] http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-closing-conference-ey2012
[14] www.cor.europa.eu/EY2012
[15] http://europa.eu/ey2012/ey2012main.jsp?catId=986&langId=en
[16] Council Declaration on the
European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (2012): The
Way Forward, Brussels, 7 December 2012.
[17] http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=en&catId=89&newsId=1837&furtherNews=yes
[18]  http://www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/Updated_EY2012_Roadmap_Coalition_FINALVERSION1.doc

[19] http://www.covenantofmayors.eu
[20] http://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=8710&langId=en
[21] ‘Taking forward the
Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active
and Healthy Ageing’  COM(2012) 83final
[22] COM(2013)83 final of 20 February
2013.
[23]  COM(2012) 83final
[24] See the research
study to support the Social Protection Committee ICT-AGE : Long Term Care
Strategies for Independent Living of Elderly People carried out by EC JRC IPTS.
http://is.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pages/EAP/eInclusion/carers_ICTAGE.html