Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-14-Speech-2-272"
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"en.20030114.8.2-272"2
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"The future of care for the elderly must not be reduced to a sectoral, or even simply humanist concern, and even less so to purely financial thinking or concern for financial viability. Are these generations an asset to modern society, yes or no? Do our societies have the means to provide them with a decent future, sufficient means for care, and therefore a high-level retirement worthy of our times, yes or no? My reply is yes, a resounding yes. In France today, 40% of people retiring receive less than EUR 1 000 per month. Statistics indicate that by 2005, 30% will be approaching the poverty line. So yes, of course, funding for social protection needs to be reviewed. The problem is deciding on the principles according to which this should take place.
Asking questions about the future of retirement and care therefore equates to making social choices. How can we address the causes of the debt, how can we increase the number of those participating in the national solidarity effort? By combating unemployment by means of employment policies or by making redundancies and closing businesses?
I would also like to voice my opposition, as others have already done, to Article 10(c) of the report in particular, which advocates, and I quote, ‘the creation of an internal market in health services and products’. This would open the way for the attitude of pension funds which are more interested in gaining a market share than in worrying about any kind of health policy. I personally cannot envisage care being distributed according to budget. Is there not already a risk when, for example, in the United Kingdom, dialysis is no longer funded after the age of 75? On the other hand, I am sure that social benefits such as those under the French retirement system should be strengthened. In France, seven trade unions have been asking for this recently. Their joint platform demands a high-level retirement provision. They are also calling for demonstrations throughout the country on 1 February.
Lastly, we have the resources to ensure a high-level retirement provision. As recommended by one of the amendments tabled by my group, we need to study new ways to fund legal retirement systems, in particular by extending social contributions to all financial income, applying the same rates as for salaries. Lastly, I would like to express my total opposition to increasing the duration of working life in France and in Europe, as recommended by the Barcelona European Council."@en1
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