Workers experiencing menopause deserve protection from discrimination

A cross-party group of 14 MEPs has stressed that menopause should be addressed in public policies to protect workers not only from the health and safety impact, but also to protect them from discrimination.

An investigation on long-term care during COVID-19 at European level?

AGE Platform Europe, the European Public Service Union and the European Disability Forum, have called for a European investigation into the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the long-term care sector. A wealth of evidence is emerging about the risk to which staff and beneficiaries of long-term care have been exposed to, given the lack of protective equipment, adequate working conditions and access to testing and treatment. The call was directed to European PArliament President David Sassoli, as the only directly representative European institution should be the one investigating abuses to EU Fundamental Rights on an EU scale.

The call was supported by a group of 88 MEPs accross the political spectrum:

“We, as Members of the European Parliament, believe that it is absolutely necessary to examine what happened at European level with all the means at our disposal, in order to have comprehensive data in front of us and to identify political and management responsibilities, so that we can change course immediately.

We are committed to ensuring that the European Parliament has the will and strength to discover and reconstruct what has happened, strengthen attention on these facilities, find alternatives of group housing and avoid other mistakes and tragedies.”

Supporting statement by MEPs for investigative action on long-term care and COVID-19

In November, MEPs organised an online debate on the way forward based on the call. A summary can be found here.

More information

• Joint press relsease of AGE Platform Europe, EPSU and EDF: A call for the EU Parliament to investigate the tragic impact of COVID-19 on long-term care accross the European Union
• Joint letter: EU Parliament to use all its powers to investigate the tragic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care across the European Union
• Statement of 88 MEPs: Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on long-term care facilities

The French Confederation of Retired Persons calls on candidates

On the eve of the European Elections that will be held on 26 May 2019 in France, the Confederation, representing more than one and a half million pensioners, shared their expectations for the new European Parliament in an open letter to candidates.

In an email addressed to political parties and journalists, the Confederation emphasized the undeniable contribution senior citizens make to the economic and social life. In accordance with the European Pillar of Social Rights adopted in Gothenburg, Sweden on 17 November 2017, the 200 million people aged 50+ in Europe must be recognized for their capacity to actively participate in society and enabled to do so.

Thus, the French Confederation of Retired Persons calls for:

• A formal recognition of the full citizenship of older people, their rights and needs, through their participation in decisions that affect them and through the official recognition of the representativeness of organizations that have a voice;
• Support for their professional commitment through measures to encourage them to remain in employment, access lifelong learning, benefit from gradual career ends and cope with the constraints linked to care responsibilities;
• Measures to ensure that all people have incomes compatible with full social integration, nutrition, housing and care provision that promote healthy and active ageing;
• Access for all seniors to goods and services, whether through the adaptation of transport and housing, accessibility to digital services, or the maintenance of traditional access (telephone, postal mail) to public and care services.