European Year for Active Ageing & Solidarity between Generations

This is a chance to celebrate the fact that Europeans are living longer than ever before. There are now 182 million people aged 50 and over, representing 36% of the population living in the 27 member states of the European Union.

It's also an opportunity to promote active ageing and to raise awareness of the huge contribution people in later life make to European societies.

Challenge for politicians and stakeholders

The European Commission believes that the challenge for politicians and stakeholders will be to improve opportunities for active ageing in general and for living independently, acting in areas as diverse as employment, healthcare, social services, adult learning, volunteering, housing, IT services and transport.

The EU has designated four themes for the year:

1. active ageing in employment - flexible working, training, and anti-discrimination
2. active ageing in the community - citizenship, volunteering and caring
3. active ageing at home - healthy ageing and independent living
4. cooperation and solidarity among generations

The European Year seeks to raise awareness of these issues and to develop the best ways of dealing with them.  But most of all, it seeks to encourage all policymakers and stakeholders to set themselves goals and take action to meet them.

As the European Commission (EC) itself states, '2012 should go beyond debating; it should start bringing tangible results.'

As well as providing a framework for policy development and action on active ageing and intergenerational solidarity, the European Year will allow the EU, national governments and stakeholders at all levels to develop and share best practice, innovative solutions, policies and strategies.

No new funding is available from the EC to support civil society activities around the year, but there are dedicated EY2012 websites, events and communications activities throughout the year, in the UK and across the EU.

What is Age UK doing?

Age UK has highly respected and extensive good practice which it can share with European partners on services and programmes to promote active ageing in employment, local communities and at home.

Age UK plans to share its best initiatives on the  EY2012 website. We are keen to learn about innovative work elsewhere in Europe on activie ageing and intergenerational solidarity to help us define future Age UK services and programmes.

Age UK also actively seeks to influence European policy development to improve later life. We do this directly - engaging with EU institutions - and through AGE Platform Europe, the Brussels-based network of organisations working with and for older people.

Age UK aims to use EY2012 to ensure ageing is raised up the EU agenda, prioritising equal treatment, inclusive design, lifelong learning and research.

In July 2011, Age UK organised an AGE Platform Europe conference in London - Active Ageing in a Big Society: European Perspectives - involving UK and EU stakeholders working on the 2011 European Year of Volunteering and on EY2012.

To find out more and get involved, please visit:

EY2012 homepage

UK government EY2012 homepage

AGE Platform Europe EY2012 homepage

For further information, please contact international@ageuk.org.uk