Active Retirement Ireland has today published its 2024 European Parliament elections manifesto ‘Amplifying Older Voices — Empowering Older People in Ireland and Europe’, clearly setting out its strong recommendations for policies and practices that promote the rights of older people, including access to healthcare, social protection, participation in decision-making and freedom from discrimination and abuse.
Read the manifesto: Amplifying Older Voices — Empowering Older People in Ireland and Europe.
The key proposals outlined in the manifesto and put to European Parliament MEPs and candidates on behalf of the organisation’s more 24,000 members are to:
Fight age discrimination
Discrimination on the basis of age can no longer be tolerated or ignored, and this European Parliament election Active Retirement Ireland is calling for legislative protections and awareness campaigns to combat ageism, as well as strong EU advocacy for anti-discrimination laws and intergenerational solidarity initiatives.
Ensure secure pensions
Active Retirement Ireland is calling for EU-wide promotion of the right to income security and equality post-retirement as well as the establishment of an EU standard for basic pension adequacy.
Furthermore, in the Irish context, Active Retirement Ireland is calling on the government to Benchmark the state pension at 34% of average earnings, as was committed to in 2018, and address gender disparities in pension provision and remove gender-based barriers to pension equality.
Protect the right to age with dignity and age in place
The organisation’s recommendations include strengthening social protection systems and combating elder abuse, and ensuring greater access to age-friendly housing and community-based support services.
Support population health with active ageing
Active Retirement Ireland is calling for the implementation of a comprehensive, EU-wide positive ageing framework and the prioritisation of policies and programmes for better physical and mental health.
Guarantee universal access to goods and services
Active Retirement Ireland fully supports initiatives that ensure older people have access to essential goods and services, including healthcare, transport and housing, as well as digital inclusion measures that enable older people to access information, services and social connection online.
Mainstream ageing in policy
The charity has long called for the full integration of ageing considerations in policy design.
Embed EU structures for policy oversight
Active Retirement Ireland firmly believes in the need to establish an EU network of independent commissioners for ageing across all member states, including in Ireland, to champion older people’s rights and interests in policy design.
