Blogposts by Tag: elderly

  • Support social tourism

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    Rating: 4/5 with 3 votes

    Published Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 11:56
    by Editor in New Social Europe (281 views and 1 comments)

    Have you ever imagined how many elderly can not afford to go on holidays and the consequences on their wellbeing?

    Taking this into account, several Socialist MEPs launched an initiative that intends to enhance senior’s quality of life. How? By giving them the opportunity to go on holidays!

    The program follows similar experiences in Spain, Portugal and Great-Britain. The idea is, through EU funds, to allow seniors to travel in different tourism structures across Europe. The investment would enable savings in many other areas such as unemployment compensations or the collection of taxes resulting from the touristic activity.

    The benefits would include:

    - New and better jobs over the whole year
    - Better management of tourist flows
    - Promote partnerships between the public sector, the private sector and the social economy sector
    - Enhance quality of life of those who usually do not have the means to go on holidays

    To read the full contribution signed by Kader Arif and several other Socialist MEPs click here. read more

    Tags: elderly, human rights, manifesto


  • New global strategy to achieve Social Europe

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    Rating: 5/5 with 2 votes

    Published Monday, June 2, 2008 at 16:50
    by jose reis santos Join PES activists in New Social Europe (209 views and 0 comments)

    Today, the Portuguese Secretary of State Fernando Medina takes the floor to present some of his ideas on the “New Social Europe”!

    In a time where all over Europe people are presenting proposals for the common European manifesto for the 2009 election, the work developed by the PES activists in Portugal should be praised. I believe that we will have the necessary ideas to build a political agenda that will reinforce the social dimension of the European project. For example, we need to insist in the battle for a European minimum wage, as a protection mechanism, and to appeal to people. Naturally, each country has the liberty to adjust their measures regarding this issue but they should do so respecting common criteria. If most European countries already have this kind of measures, why can’t we give them a political hype, with the necessary visibility attached? We can actually make the same with the struggle against poverty and exclusion, especially when concerning children and youth. This is a crucial dimension in the sustainability of our social and economical models because it reinforces the cohesion dimension of our citizenship; because it fights the spread of poverty and maximizes the human and labor potential of our societies. These themes show that the politics of equality of opportunities should go beyond the non-discrimination approach.

    Another issue is active aging and...

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    Tags: child care, education, elderly, workers


  • What I think Europe should head for

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    Rating: 4.5/5 with 2 votes

    Published Friday, May 30, 2008 at 14:36
    by lewismsyp in New Social Europe (263 views and 0 comments)

    (I'm Lewis Miller, 16 year old, a member of various organisations involving young people politically in Scotland such as the Scottish Youth Parliament and I enjoy trying to enthuse young peple in politics)

    As a very politically aware young person in Scotland it seems to me like the our society losing sight of what it means to be a person and what it means to be a human being.

    I think, and many others amoungst me think, that our society needs to uphold the values we were tought at a young age, we need to look at achieving goals that sound simple and yet are very rewarding. What a lot of young people (particualrly on the left) want is a society where people are cared for, we want to see Europe become a place where countires can support each other and where the poorest people can be helped. When we are only bairns we are told to share our food, we are told to look after each otehr, and so many of us forget that this is what society expects of us, and I think that the older politicians ought to remember seeing the world this way and never forget what society really stands for.

    "But what should be our priorities for 2009-14?" Was the first question asked by the website. I think we should have a simple goal, to work towards creating a more equal, a more caring and a more enriched society. We should do...

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    Tags: elderly, public services, youth


  • European Senior Organization: Solidarity between the generations

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    Rating: 4/5 with 4 votes

    Published Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 15:32
    by Editor in New Social Europe (321 views and 0 comments)

    A New Social Europe calls for solidarity between citizens of all ages.

    This was the main message when activists from the European Senior Organization (ESO) visited the PES Secretariat in Brussels on 8 May 2008. The 20 activists met to discuss the PES manifesto and the 2009 election campaign. During their visit the senior activists decided on 10 priorities which ESO will recommend to the PES.

    ESO President Karl Blecha presents three of the 10 priorities:

    “Among our 10 priorities is the recognition of the value that seniors add to society. Maybe not as employees on the job market, but via volunteer work, research and social work – all this supports younger generations.”

    “Another priority for the PES manifesto should be to secure the purchasing power of elderly. Pensions need to match living expenses. Currently long life expectancy is used as an excuse to cut down on pensions. We need to counterweight this development, public pensions are the pillar of the pension system”

    “It’s also very important to fight poverty among elderly....
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    Tags: elderly, equality, welfare, women


  • The current food crisis is alarming

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    Rating: 3.7/5 with 3 votes

    Published Monday, April 28, 2008 at 14:33
    by raphi sternfeld Join PES activists in New Social Europe (465 views and 2 comments)

    According to the media a number of Italian pensioners are forced to stealing since they cannot afford food anymore. The food crisis has finally reached Europe. This terrible situation needs to be dealt with. This could be the moment of European social democracy. The era of neo-liberalism finally seems to be over. The time is there to discuss social responsibility. (Western) Europe has been in a positive development since 1945, while governments have paid attention to social symmetry. Now we are experiencing a growing gap in society – we need to reduce this gap. Europe must become social. This can only be achieved if social democracy is strengthened. Let us be brave and take the fight with the conservatives. Europe’s citizens are on our side.

    Original version in German is attached to this post. read more

    Tags: elderly, food crisis, welfare

    File: Hungerkrise_DE.pdf


  • A new definition of full employment

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    Rating: 4.3/5 with 3 votes

    Published Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 10:00
    by carl0s Join PES activists in New Social Europe (740 views and 3 comments)

    In the Labour Party we have always thought of full employment as a desirable goal. This reflects the influence of those such as Keynes and Galbraith on our thinking (despite Keynes being a Liberal). It also reflects the localized depressions of the 1930s, 1980s and 1990s where classical and neo-classical economics failed so many people. Simple fact: markets are prone to failure. We should not let any prior commitments prevent us from offering clear, humane alternatives should this failure happen again. Around Europe, most people will look to socialist parties to help them.

    With the challenges of an ageing population, we need to redefine what employment actually is. With more healthy people over the age of '65, and increasing numbers of home carers, we have demands that need to meet in different ways. It's wrong to see the growing number of old people as a problem - it's actually a huge opportunity. The same of course applies to membership of PES parties - where members are sometimes regarded as a nuisance rather than a positive resource!

    This is because that if the right community facilities exist, and the infrastructure is available, pensioners should have the opportunity to develop their skills in a variety of social enterprises, some of which could prove lucrative. Examples of this would be in... read more

    Tags: elderly, employment, welfare


  • Who uses public services?

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    Rating: 5/5 with 3 votes

    Published Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 10:26
    by carl0s Join PES activists in New Social Europe (743 views and 0 comments)

    I think we can identify four distinct "stages" where people make the most use of public services, particularly in regard to welfare and education services. They are not necessarily sequential. Firstly, from childhood to early adulthood, people need free-at-point-of-use education - its important that this is not only of academic quality, but also that the environment results in a decent formative experience. Secondly, families with a young child need a lot of support, from the birth through to free childcare. Thirdly, people with illness at any time in their lives should not be thrown back on the resources of the family, as the fear that this engenders will act to the detriment of general public health. And lastly, people who have finished work will need a future where they aren't worried about subsistence living. That way, younger people can look to the future with a degree of confidence.

    If I'm stating the obvious here, then apologies. But for all four of these stages, there is no indication that private schemes or private insurance can adequately and securely provide for individuals. Private involvement at these times always involves public provision at some stage - for example, someone with health insurance always goes to their local hospital in an emergency. My belief is that public hospitals should not be charging their patients for care.

    By combining health and social services for these different groups it should be possible to treat everyone...

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    Tags: childcare, elderly, health, pensions, public services, welfare


  • New Social Europe - how do we do it?

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    Rating: 4.7/5 with 3 votes

    Published Monday, November 12, 2007 at 15:27
    by Editor in New Social Europe (728 views and 0 comments)

    Jesús Caldera, Spanish Labour Minister has made a major speech on the Spanish Socialist Government’s social policies and strengthening the European Social Model, against a backdrop of intensifying political debate in the run-up to next year’s Spanish general elections.

    Speaking at a meeting of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament last week, Caldera argued that pro-active social policies should be regarded as an investment, not a cost, and that it was fundamental that we defend the European social model.

    Caldera outlined six key points:

    1. Reaching full employment through pro-active economic and social policies agreed with the full involvement of businesses, trade unions and civil society. 24 agreements have been signed in Spain since 2004.

    2. Fighting discrimination against women and enabling women to work. Spanish socialists brought in legislation on equality with massive public support but against stiff right-wing opposition from the Popular Party.

    3. Raising the minimum wage in order to make work more attractive. Spanish socialists have raised it by €200 since taking office, and will raise it by another €200 if re-elected next year.

    4. Establishing a universal right to care services for dependents. a new law will now enter into force in Spain to provide services for the elderly and... read more

    Tags: elderly, equality, immigration, wages, welfare