Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-11-19-Speech-3-353"
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"en.20081119.23.3-353"2
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"Madam President, there are many issues that arise in the context of this evening’s discussion, but I would just like to look at one of them: care and carers.
If we are lucky enough to live long enough, we will most likely need care, and, while there are differences between Member States, the likelihood is that this will largely consist of informal care.
Carers form the foundation of formal care and social care, and are an indispensable part of long-term care provision. If carers are expected to keep providing care – which they are – then their needs must be an inherent part of health and social care policy development.
In this context, I am pleased to see that the DG SANCO website has a short section devoted to carers, and I have no doubt that this came about as a result of the submission the carers’ interest group in Parliament made to DG SANCO on its annual work programme.
However, carers need more than just a mention. We believe it is time to design a new social contract for care that goes way beyond the traditional view of a contract between the state and the individual, and which calls for new commitments involving employers, local agencies and communities. Indeed, the recent ECJ judgment on discrimination by association points the way.
Caring cannot be the sole responsibility of the informal carer or, indeed, of the Member State. The informal care system will collapse without proper support, while with an exclusively state-based approach, the costs will simply be too high. That is why we need this wider social contract.
Finally, there are approximately 100 million carers across the EU. They are unpaid, undervalued and, in many cases, inadequately supported. I welcome the mention on DG SANCO’s website, but this is a first step only. By its very extent, this is a European issue and action will have to be coordinated between Member States.
Policy on carers should be part of the work of DG SANCO, and also of DG Employment and Social Affairs."@en1
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