"Active ageing", family policies and care for elderly people, migration: the top level group of experts appointed in Brussels by the European Commission today will take care of those subjects. The experts will study demographic questions. The initiative by the Executive "answers a request coming from the member States of the EU, in relation to the Green Book of 2005" about those subjects. The group, made up of the representatives of the 27 States and a few experts, is presided over by Eleonora Hostasch, former work minister in Austria; the group "will help the Commission to elaborate policies suitable for the new reality of population ageing and the diminishing of work forces". During the opening session, the work and social affairs commissioner, Vladimír pidla, stated: "Europe has no reasons whatever to be afraid of population ageing, on condition that it prepares on time. Active ageing will remarkably influence our social services and our economies". The "silver economy" offers us "new outlets for services and products"; "I think added pidla, that the next ten years will be a favourable period in this respect, and this work group will be useful to define the common policies in the new demographic picture".
