Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-12-15-Speech-5-021"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20001215.2.5-021"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I have to say that, although Mrs Sbarbati’s report contains valuable recommendations, it is your typical Friday morning report. But these recommendations continue to miss the mark. She urges Community action, whether that is appropriate or not. In this area of policy, European institutions hardly have any authority. It is mainly the Member States' governments at federal, provincial and local level which can put many of these recommendations to good use. We should not burden the European Commission with atypical work.
In the next few decades, an ageing and greying population will emerge, caused by a falling birth rate and an increase in life expectancy. As a consequence, expenditure on health care and pensions will soar dramatically. The OESO has been carrying out research into this area for some years now and has published reports on this topic.
Research in the Netherlands has shown that, up to the age of 50, the average cost of health care is approximately EUR 1 000 per person per year. This amount increases to EUR 4 000 for 75 year-olds and to around EUR 25 000 per year for 95 year-olds. To buck this trend will take time. After all, by excessively promoting the trend towards individualism, we have created a situation for ourselves where the elderly rely on care institutions to a far greater extent.
By the same token, the cost of pensions in a number of Member States has grown out of all proportion. In its monthly report for July 2000, the European Central Bank as already issuing serious warnings. In some EMU countries, the cost amounts to twice the GDP. This is in addition to the government debt, which is already very high.
To my great surprise, the report does not contain any specific recommendations on this matter. Many Member States will need to go on a serious economy drive and prioritise the setting up of funds in order to keep the cost of pensions affordable and to keep the rise in gross average earnings within limits. If this is not done, we will have no choice other than to reduce pension payments. Raising the pensionable age, as proposed by the European Commission, will certainly not prove sufficient as a measure.
I share the rapporteur’s view that every elderly person deserves respect and appreciation. Unfortunately, we are up against it on virtually every score. A person only counts for as long as they are young, progressive and fashionable. It is exactly the life experiences and wisdom of the elderly which we need in our here-today-gone-tomorrow society. We need to change our pattern of thought right across the board. People need each other’s care and attention; they rely on each other. The basis for this outlook on life is the family, in which each human being grows up. What is bizarre is that, these days, the family is generally no longer considered to be the nucleus of society and appreciated for what it is. Here, too, individualism has taken its toll.
Add to this the undervaluing of nurturing and caring responsibilities, which feeds the absurd thought that housewives are less productive. Their valuable contribution to our society is hugely neglected in this report.
The plea to combat age discrimination at the workplace has my support although, once again, I wonder if an EU Directive is necessary. In my opinion, it would be preferable for Member States to address this problem by using their own legislative instruments.
Finally, although the elderly can count on my sympathy and appreciation, I will vote against this report for the reasons cited above."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples