The European Commission launches a report on the Impact of the Demographic Change
The European Commission has just launched the impact of demographic change in Europe report. The study serves as a foundation for further work on the upcoming Green Paper on Ageing, which is expected to be published later this year.
The report covers statistics on various drivers of the demographic change in Europe, such as life expectancy, birth rates and household trends across the Union.
According to the European Commission, ‘there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Policymaking needs to zoom into the reality on the ground.(…) Demographic change will affect everybody and must be a factor that helps steer Europe’s recovery from the crisis and provide us with insights as we build a more resilient, sustainable and fair Union.’
Read more about the new report on European Commissions’ website here.
Moreover, the publication highlights the impacts on the European social market economy, such as the strain on public budgets, health and long term care and the general quality of life, and the importance of addressing these issues through cross-cutting approaches.
There are also opportunities hidden in adjusting to these demographic trends that can be found in a more inclusive labour market and increasing productivity through skills and education with the help of innovation and use of latest technologies.
As the report states, ‘the impact of digital technologies in health and long term care can be a triple win: improved quality of life, increased efficiency of health and longterm care, market growth and industry development.‘
The AAL Programme has been at the forefront of addressing the challenges and hidden opportunities of our ageing societies. Read more about our legacy here.
In the light of the public health crisis, AAL has also followed closely the exacerbated challenges of ageing populations during the COVID-19, and have published a list of already-existing and available solutions that boost the responses to the challenges mentioned in the EC report. Read more about them here.