Activities of Joanna Katarzyna SKRZYDLEWSKA related to 2010/0242(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Year for Active Ageing (2012)
Amendments (12)
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) Successive European Councils have recognised the need to tackle the effect of ageing populations on European social models. A key response to this rapid change in the age structure consists in promoting active ageing and thus ensuring that the baby boom cohorts, who are, on the whole, healthier and better educated than any such cohort before them, have good opportunities for employment and active participation in society. In particular, voluntary work by older people should be promoted as an activity that is beneficial both to society and to the individuals involved, drawing on the achievements of the European Year of Volunteering 2011.
Amendment 12 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The growing proportion of older people in Europe makes it more important than ever to promote healthy ageing. Healthy ageing by ensuring universal and equal access to healthcare. Healthy ageing with maximum functional ability can help raise labour market participation of older people, enable them to be active in society for longer, improve their individual quality of life and curb the strains on health and social care systems. With a view to achieving this, fitness classes and sporting activities should be promoted among older people, who should accordingly be afforded easier access to public sports facilities.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The Council adopted on 22 February 2007 a resolution on ‘Opportunities and challenges of demographic change in Europe: the contribution of older people to economic and social development’, which emphasised the need to increase the possibilities of active participation by older people, including in the form of voluntary work, the new economic opportunities (‘"silver economy’") created by the growing demand of older people for certain goods and services as well as the importance of a positive public image of older people.
Amendment 16 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The Council adopted on 8 June 2009 Conclusions on ‘Equal opportunities for women and men: active and dignified ageing’, which recognises that, throughout the EU, older women and men face serious challenges as they seek to live active lives and to age with dignity, and proposes a number of measures to Member States and the Commission. The measures planned for older people should include cultural activities and activities to promote general well-being, with a view to shielding older people against social exclusion and loneliness by including and involving them.
Amendment 17 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) The Commission emphasised itn its Communication on ‘Europe 2020 - A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ the importance to the European Union of promoting a healthy and active ageing population in the interests of social cohesion and higher productivity. It proposed a flagship initiative ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs’, under which Member States should notably promote active ageing policies, and a flagship initiative on a ‘European Platform against Poverty’. New technologies should be used to promote educational schemes to broaden the knowledge of older people and enable them to acquire technical skills. Achieving these policy goals requires action from all levels of government and various non- governmental stakeholders; they can in turn be supported, at the Union level, by European Year activities aimed at raising awareness and fostering the exchange of good practice. National coordinators should see to it that national action is coordinated and is consistent with the overall objectives of the European Year. The participation of other institutions and stakeholders is also planned.
Amendment 20 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) Active ageing is targeted by several Union programmes, such as the European Social Fund, the European Regional and Development Fund, the PROGRESS programme, the Life Long Learning Programme, and in particular the Grundtvig programme, the Public Health Programme, the specific programmes on information and communication technologies and on socio-economic sciences and humanities in the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development, the Action Plan on ‘Ageing well in the information society’, the Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme for research and innovation, the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme with pilot deployment projects on ICT for Ageing Well and the Action Plan on urban mobility. Union co- financing of European Year activities will be in accordance with the priorities and rules applying, on an annual or multi- annual basis, to existing programmes and autonomous budget lines in the field of employment, social affairs and equal opportunities. Where appropriate, programmes and policies in other fields, such as education and culture, health, research, the information society, regional policy and transport policy, may support the European Year.
Amendment 27 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – introductory part
Article 2 – introductory part
The overall purpose of the European Year shall be to encourage and support the efforts of Member States, their regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society to promote active ageing and to do more to mobilise the potential of the rapidly growing population in their late 50s and above, thereby preserving solidarity between generations. Active ageing means creating better opportunities and working conditions for both paid and unpaid work to enable older workers to play their part in the labour market, combating social exclusion by fostering active participation in society, and encouraging healthy ageing. On this basis, the objectives shall be:
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 2 – point 1
Article 2 – point 1
(1) to raise general awareness of the value of active ageing and combat negative stereotypes about old age in order to highlight the useful contribution older persons make to society and the economy, to promote active ageing and to do more to mobilise the potential of older persons;
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a decision
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) The growing proportion of older people in Europe makes it more important than ever to promote healthy ageing by ensuring universal and equal access to healthcare. Healthy ageing can help raise labour market participation of older people, enable them to be active in society for longer, improve their individual quality of life and curb the strains on health and social care systems.
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 1
Amendment 39 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 2
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 2
– information, promotion and educational campaigns to disseminate the message of the European Year, using new media and the internet in order to do so;
Amendment 43 #
Proposal for a decision
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 3
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 3
– exchange of information, experience and good practices through national coordinators and networks of contacts set up by stakeholders working to achieve the goals of the European Year;