1 October 2020
Today, on the International Day for Older Persons, during the meeting of Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (EMPL), ECR MEP Beata Szydło presented her report entitled 'The Old Continent is Aging - Opportunities and Challenges Post-2020 Related to Aging Policy'.
According to Ms. Szydlo, the problem of an aging population is one of the greatest challenges the EU is facing today. “I think we should consider an in-depth discussion of the problems and find a solution that, on the one hand, will help the elderly and, on the other hand, also supports the Member States and the entire EU community to face this progressive and inevitable phenomenon.”
Ms. Szydlo indicated that there were three areas that should be included in the development of strategies and activities for the elderly. The first is healthcare, which is specifically visible due to the coronavirus pandemic, second is activity of the elderly in the public life and third their participation in the labour market. “We want these people not to feel excluded, but also to have an opportunity to actively participate in public life as much as possible. Loneliness of the elderly should be avoided through intergenerational solidarity, the silver economy and including them in different aspects of the society”, emphasized Szydło.