Demography

 Background :

The facts

 

In 2007, 80% of all Europeans lived in towns or cities. In 20 years’ time the proportion of those living in areas of urban concentration will have grown from 50 to 60%. In 2000 the planet had 19 urban centres with a population of more than 10 million. By 2015 there will be 23 of them. 20% of these megacities will be in the developed world. The European Union is not immune to this trend. The Old World has 169 cities with a population of more than 200 000 and 32 with more than a million, which equates to nearly 56% of all urban dwellers. Other European cities, by contrast, are tending to lose population. The reasons : industrial decline, clustering of economic activity in certain regions, depopulation due to inter-regional migration and to other major demographic changes.

Europe has an ageing population. This is due primarily to the significant economic, social and medical advances it has enjoyed. Thus, life expectancy at birth has already increased by 8 years since 1960 and may rise by a further 5 years by 2050. In addition, the post-war baby boom was followed by a decline in fertility over the last few decades, and this is now inflating the size of the 45-65 age group. This ageing of the population also impacts heavily on towns and cities in terms of transport and housing infrastructure. Older people’s access to services and the way in which housing can be adapted to the different stages in people’s lives are issues of crucial importance.

The challenges 

 

Economically, this trend towards population ageing is problematic. By 2050 there will be 48 million fewer people of working age, something which prompted Vladimír Špidla, the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to comment that in the European Union ’today, there are four people of working age for every person over 65 ; by 2050, this ratio will have dropped to two workers paying for one pensioner.’Employment of senior citizens and women is central to this challenge. In a recent own-initiative report by MEP Françoise Castex, the European Parliament acknowledged the difficulty of combining work and family life. The plenary also stressed that incentives to favour young people’s access to the labour market might be underpinned by the pool of labour represented by the more recently retired.

The social and regional implications of population ageing also offer food for thought. Older people are often isolated, and increasingly find themselves abused and left without care, in their own families or in care establishments. Regions experiencing a decline and with a predominantly elderly population will also face difficulties as regards the provision of essential public goods and services like health, housing, urban development and transport.

 

The European Union’s response

 

In its 2006 communication ‘The demographic future of Europe – from challenge to opportunity’, the European Commission emphasised the need to implement a global strategy, to assess existing measures and decide which adjustments, if any, were needed. In 2007 the European Commission put forward a new text on promoting solidarity between the generations. The main measure proposed in this text : construction of a platform for the systematic exchange of best practices and researchon demographic issues, so that the demographic challenge can be transformed into a social and economic opportunity.

 

 Actions of the Intergroup

 

The demographic challenge matters for the Intergroup. Population ageing calls for appropriate responses on housing and transport issues.

The adaptability of housing and transport to different stages in people’s lives is a new challenge which needs to be addressed. It is crucial that elderly people should be able to continue living in their own homes and remain part of the life of their neighbourhood or city. The report of Neena Gill, member of the Intergroup, underlines the role which the new information and communication technologies can play in making it possible for elderly people to go on living independently. The joint amendments tabled by the Intergroup’s members to the Castex report on the demographic future of Europe were proof of Parliament’s desire to be involved in the process of tackling this demographic challenge. The Intergroup believes there is a risk that elderly people may become isolated or even ghettoised, and transport and housing have a role to play here because they can adjust to this new demand. This is why the Intergroup is working to identify areas of best practice, so that best practice stops being the exception and becomes the rule.

 

Good practice :

 

The Habitat Senior Service (HSS) label of DELPHIS

 

The ‘Habitat Senior Services’ (HSS) label aims to provide adapted housing and services, offering specific solutions which enable the elderly to go on living in their own homes. Measures include raising electrical sockets higher off the floor or installing showers in place of bathtubs.

 

The ‘Ambient Assisted Living’ programme (AAL)

 

‘Ambient Assisted Living’ is a joint programme of R&D in the field of new information and communication technologies. It aims to promote the emergence of innovative ITC-based products and systems which help people to enjoy a comfortable and dignified old age.

The programme is a joint venture by Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain plus Israel, Norway and Switzerland. In economic terms, it provides a framework for the development of research and innovation work, creating an environment that makes it easy for small and medium-sized enterprises to be involved. By placing the results of this work at the service of elderly people the programme also makes it easier for them to continue living satisfactorily in their own homes.