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Green Paper on Ageing: our recommendations to support older adults in mountain areas

Last January 2021, the European Commission published its EU Green Paper on Ageing, which aims at launching a political debate on ageing in Europe. As reminded by the European Commission in this communication, the European Union does not have a competence on most of issues related to ageing, such as healthcare and pensions. Therefore, the Green Paper proposes different working axes, which must be adapted according to national, regional and local contexts.

The highest concentrations of people over 65 can be observed in rural, mountainous and sparsely population areas and on the top 6 of ageing regions in Europe, 4 are mountainous. Countries like Greece, Cyprus, Sweden and Portugal will be particularly affected by ageing and will have the highest shares of elderly population in mountainous areas in the EU by 2050.

Given the importance of the ageing challenge for most mountain areas, Euromontana recently participated to the European Commission’s consultation on the Green Paper on Ageing to provide recommendations on how to adapt measures at national, regional and local levels.

To improve the quality of life of seniors in our villages, Euromontana in particular recommends to:

  • Ensure accessible and adequate healthcare services, including by encouraging more practioners to stay or move to mountain areas, developing telemedicine and telemonitoring and proposing housing offers for vulnerable and dependent older adults that also take advantage of mountain areas’ natural assets.
  • Build regional strategies to improve older people’s quality of life, for instance by supporting the Silver Economy sector which has a great potential both to assist older generations and to create jobs and strengthen social cohesion.
  • Develop adapted transport offers (increased on-demand offer, stronger multimodality for instance) as well as ‘reversed mobility’ services to overcome the issue of mobility in mountain areas, including for active, vulnerable, and dependent people.
  • Stimulate a mindset change by showcasing the important role of older generations for society, in particular in rural communities, and encouraging older people’s participation in local initiatives, social innovations and intergenerational activities.

Our analysis of ageing in mountain areas and all our recommendations are available in our updated position paper “Ageing in mountain areas – Contributions of Euromontana for the Green Paper on Ageing”.

Euromontana is also involved in the Interreg Europe project SILVER SMEs, which aims at supporting the development of the Silver Economy sector in rural and mountainous areas to improve the quality of life of rural seniors and boost business creation. On April 21, 2021, SILVER SMEs is organising the online conference “Challenges and solutions to cope with ageing in rural Europe: the role of the Silver Economy“. This event will further discuss how European and regional policies can contribute to developing innovative solutions for rural older adults.

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24 March 2021

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We were today at the European Committee of the Regions too meet with regional policymakers from the Carpathians ⛰🤝 Thank you to Witold Kozłowski from the Małopolska region - also a new member of our Board of Directors - for our discussions!𝗪𝘀𝗽𝗼́𝗹𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗠𝗮ł𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝘀𝗸𝗶 𝗶 𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗶 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗻𝗮 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗿. 👍Obecność wicemarszałka Witold Kozłowski w Brukseli podczas 163. Sesji Plenarnej Europejskiego Komitetu Regionów dała okazję do spotkania z dyrektorem Europejskiego Stowarzyszenia Obszarów Górskich Euromontana Guillaume Corradino. | Więcej 👇 ... See MoreSee Less
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One month since the #mountainconvention2024 in Puigcerdà! 🏔️ What future for #mountaineconomies? Find all the key insights in the event report! 📝🙏 Thank you to all stakeholders who shared their ideas, projects and recommendations for a brighter future in the mountains!Report 🔗 www.euromontana.org/outcomes ... See MoreSee Less
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Explore the new guide on ‘rural proofing for the evaluation of the rural perspective in laws, policies, plans and strategies’: bit.ly/3O995FiPublished by the Red Española de Desarrollo Rural (REDR), it intends to support authorities in incorporating a rural angle when designing, implementing, and reviewing policies and regulations.Find more information here: bit.ly/4ev41FK #RuralPact #RuralVisionEUELARD aisbl EESC - European Economic and Social Committee European Rural Development Network ODRAZ-Održivi razvoj zajednice Prepare AISBL Luonnonvarakeskus Smeunited Euromontana Diesis Network Wallonie.be ECOLISE EU CAP Network Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land Vlaams Ruraal Netwerk Réseau wallon PAC Ruralni razvoj RH Ministerstvo zemědělství Netwerk Platteland / Netherlands Rural Network Maaeluvõrgustik Maaseutu - Tilaa elämälle Réseau national Agricultures et Ruralités 2023 - 2027 Deutsche Vernetzungsstelle Ländliche Räume Εθνικό Αγροτικό Δίκτυο - Greek National Rural Network Magyar Nemzeti Vidéki Hálózat CAP Network Ireland Rete Rurale Nazionale Lauku tīkls Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'Alimentation et de la Viticulture Fondi.eu Krajowa Sieć Obszarów Wiejskich+ Rede Rural Nacional Rețeaua Rurală Națională - RRN Mreža za podeželje ... See MoreSee Less
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Today, members of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) meet online to discuss: • The forthcoming RPCG Declaration on the future of EU rural policy, which addresses the open questions in the @European Commission’s ‘key achievements and ways forward’ report;• RPCG members’ position papers on the future of Europe’s rural areas;• RPCG members’ role in the Rural Pact Conference of April 2025;• Members’ actions to date & the Rural Pact Support Office 2025 work programme.More information at: bit.ly/4fwtjnS#RuralPact #RuralVisionEU ... See MoreSee Less
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