Reinventing Retirement: Reshaping Health & Financial Security for the EU 27 and Eastern Europe
On October 23 and 24, AARP, the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research convened a high-level meeting of European, American and international experts in Dürnstein, Austria. The meeting, attended by representatives from 20 countries, examined how the expanded European Union and neighbouring countries are "reinventing retirement," i.e. reshaping health and financial security as a consequence of rapid population ageing. The meeting, which brought together government officials, academic experts, NGOs and United Nations (UN) representatives, discussed specific aspects of demographic change and debated new ideas on how U.S. and European societies are addressing the challenges of our older citizens. The issues are global - the UN's Population Division indicates that the number of people aged 60 and above in the world will triple by 2050. In Europe, the demographic change will also be dramatic - by 2050 the percentage of the population older than 60 will approach 34 percent (up from 21 percent in 2006). As noted by Edward Johns, AARP Associate Director, in the opening, "All of us gathered here share the goal of improving the quality of life for older people by advancing the UN Global Strategies and creating a society for all ages." The current crisis in the international finance system also demonstrates the importance of long-term planning in work, savings, and investment to insure a long and prosperous life. To read more on the conference and proceedings: http://www.euro.centre.org/aarpduernstein08/(opens in new window)
Countries
United Arab Emirates, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom