European Parliament: solidarity between generations Improving job prospects for young and old would not only ensure advantage and income to individuals and to their families, but could bring advantages also on different fronts, like reducing the costs of funding social security and pensions. These issues were debated in the last session in Brussels and underlined in a resolution on demography and solidarity between generations. "Steadily increasing longevity and low birth rates may place a heavy burden on rising generations", says the resolution drafted by German MEP Thomas Mann. MEPs presented proposals for the EU, one of which should be a “European Youth Guarantee”- to ensure that after a maximum of four months’ unemployment, young people are offered a job, an apprenticeship, additional training or combined work and training. The text also proposes that the Commission and Member States take “a fifty-plus employment pact initiative” to increase the share of workforce aged over 50 to 55% and eliminate early retirement incentives. The analytic part states, "demographic changes have a remarkable impact on individual and professional life", while "the scarcity of services, the low contributions, the slow pace of job market placement", "the insufficient subsidies to young married couples are some of the reasons that lead young people to postpone the creation of a family unit and the birth of children".Development aid, a public consultation The Commission has launched a public consultation on the future of EU Development policy. "Faced with the triple challenge of economic, food and environmental crises, but also the generally encouraging economic performance of Developing countries, the Commission wishes to collect views on how the EU can best support developing countries to speed up their progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and beyond". The Commission proposes four main areas for debate: focusing on the impact of EU aid, the facilitation of more inclusive growth, the promotion of sustainable development, and durable results in agriculture and food security. The consultation (http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/consultations/index_en.htm) is open to EU and partner Countries, the Commission will table a Communication on a "Modernised EU Development policy in 2011". "EU’s aid must help provide a decent living for all, and give people a chance to build their future. EU citizens are still committed to support the poorest countries, and they expect concrete results. I want to address these expectations by making sure that the EU’s assistance has a high and lasting impact on the ground”, said EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs. “Our policy has to address the root causes of poverty and act as a catalyst to create conditions for inclusive growth in our partner countries. Eliminating barriers-free Europe The Commission proposes "a barrier-free Europe" that accompanies the presentation of a strategy that seeks better access for 80 million people with disabilities. "To fully participate in our society and economy, people with disabilities need to have easier access to public buildings, public transport and to digital services," said on 15 November Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship. "A very effective option for achieving this is to develop standards for accessible goods and services at European level and to use public procurement to promote accessible public buildings". According to the Commission, "similar measures have been both a societal and an economic success in the United States." The Executive’s projects shows how the EU and national governments "can empower people with disabilities so they can enjoy their rights". Specific measures over the next decade range from the "mutual recognition of national disability cards, the promotion of standardisation to a more targeted use of public procurement and state aid rules". According to the Commission, these measures will have substantial societal benefits, but should also "produce a knock-on effect on Europe’s economy. They could for example enhance the EU market for assisted devices and services, which already today has an estimated annual value of over 30 billion".
