ENGS former chairman Tony Cooreman:
Dear friends,
the Group of Seniors, the demographic group of elderly people in Europe is continually growing. Where ever you go or stay, you will meet us. We even continue living and living, long, healthy, happy and prosperous.
If that is not good news, then what is?
But, we also cost a tremendous lot of money, and we have to put the question: who is going to pay for us?
Seniors: a blessing or a plague?
In Belgium and more specific in Flanders, our government forecasts that in 2010, which is only within 2 years, nearly 30% of the population will be over 60. In 2050 this figure will rise till 45.6% and everyone is convinced that it won’t be much different in the rest of Europe.
What do the greens know about this phenomenon and what do we do with it?
According to us, green seniors, it is more than urgent that the European green parties start to get to know better the fasted growing European demographic group and that they start to take into consideration the group of seniors.
A golden advice: EGP = use the green seniors, put them at work as hands-on experts.
We elderly people have knowledge and experience, we ask no salary, we are full of enthusiasm, sometimes even provocative, and last but not least, we have time. We even are no longer career directed, so we have freedom of speech! Many of us, as youngsters, were on the barricades in May 68, we marched up in peace demonstrations, manifested against nuclear rockets and co-founded new green parties all over Europe.
The formerly youngsters are now the seniors of today and the youngsters of today shall be the seniors of tomorrow.
We green seniors, are prepared to share our experience and knowledge with the youth. Our knowledge and experience is not limited to senior related problems, it encloses the whole range of ecological thoughts! Our Manifesto, available in 6 languages, tells you all about it.
We don’t just focus on Young and Old. We offer our cooperation to all the greens.
As we said before: it is not important what the greens can do for us, what is important is, what we – green seniors – can do for all the greens.
Dear friends, do not let all this knowledge and experience get lost.
Please notice that the European Network of Green Seniors is not a local, temporarily phenomenon. Green Seniors out of 14 European green parties have already joined our always growing network.
Today Europe, tomorrow the world.
Global Greens, be prepared: here we come!
European Green delegates, dear friends, may we insist for you to vote in favor of our Observer application.
We are ready for it, are you?
