We EUROPEAN GREEN SENIORS address this Manifesto to all EU Member States’ GREEN PARTIES and to all GLOBAL GREENS, because, Climate and Demographic Changes demand that ALL GREENS act together. PLEASE JOIN US!
MANIFESTO OF THE EUROPEAN GREEN SENIORS from December 2022: Besides climate change and digitization, we must recognize demographic changes as one of the great challenges of the 21st century and deal with it. Now!
Right to Work: We campaign for flexible and good working conditions, because the experience and manpower of older people, who chose to work longer, are needed; with part-time and training opportunities, without ageism being a vital part.
Right of Participation: Seniors who are fit and healthy contribute to society through social engagement and voluntary work. More widely available networks of lifelong learning and community facilities, to help older people fully utilize their considerable potential, are needed.
Right to Fair Pensions: Governments must evaluate and, where needed, re-evaluate how pension calculations are structured, to ensure sufficient pension payments, to prevent people falling into old-age poverty, despite having worked and contributed throughout their lives. Basic incomes during working years need to lead to this level.
Right of Aging in Place: Staying at home in old age, is what most people desire. To do this, we need demography-proof tax laws, neighbourhoods with good local infrastructure, amenities and affordable, barrier-free, energy efficient housing, co-housing, and options for shared living. Furthermore, provision for compassionate, timely and professional ›care at home‹, is needed, with state subsidy for those with low incomes.
Right to High Quality Elder Care: We also need compassionately and professionally run, registered nursing homes, which are culturally and LGBTIQ-sensitive and free of discrimination. Facilities must be subject to regular checks, to guarantee human rights standards and prevent elder abuse. There must be sufficient palliative care, as well as care homes and outpatient services, with state subsidy, for those who need it.
Right to Public Health Care: All EU countries must have a fully functioning, comprehensive health care system, with health services, that are affordable and inclusive. We strongly object to the privatization of health and social services for profit purposes.
Right to Inclusive Cities and Communities: We promote the World-Health-Organisation-project ›Age-friendly Cities and Communities‹ and the ›15 minutes city‹, where all basic necessities of daily life are available by walking or cycling for a short distance. We need to counteract ›heat islands‹ in cities with trees and plants, to prevent the high number of heat-related illnesses among older people, which has increased already by over 50% during the last heat waves. Climate and demographic changes demand such corrective measures.
Right to Public Transportation: A fully inclusive community is based around a comprehensive network of affordable and efficient public transport options, as a prerequisite for participation. For the last kilometre home, we need on-demand transportation and a sufficient number of age-friendly benches, so that older people can be mobile without a car.
Right to Communal Life: Many older people feel lonely when friends or partners become ill or die. We need inclusive meeting places, where there is no need to consume yet provide attractive offers for everyone. Public friendship benches, which signal openness for conversation, can also help reduce loneliness.
Right to Digital Participation: Nobody should be excluded for lack of basic digital knowledge, in a world that increasingly functions by digital means. We strongly promote digital training facilities, free of charge, and availability of rental devices and Wi-Fi in public places and meeting places, to help all community members to live a satisfying and constructive life.
Climate and Demographic Changes demand that ALL GREENS act together.
Please join us!
