AGE Platform Europe: Always consider people’s dignity when defining minimum income in old age
Concluding a two-year study on the adequacy of old-age minimum income in France, Ireland and Poland – as part of the European Minimum Income Network (EMIN) project – AGE Platform Europe calls on national decision makers to develop reference budgets age in dignity. Those reference budgets should be calculated for specific age and population sub-groups, and in the case of the population 65+, broken down by gender and by cohorts 65-75, 75- 85 and over 85 years old.
Defining a minimum adequate income for all across the European Union, which enables access to essential goods and services, is a prerequisite to guarantee the right to live and age in dignity. This was the objective of the EMIN project aimed to identify people’s basic needs for a dignified life according to national realities. As a partner in this project, AGE Platform Europe looked at the specific situation of older people in Europe.
“Even though the goal of our research was neither to develop nor monetise reference budgets, the older people we interviewed helped us define what an adequate old-age minimum income should entail in their national context”, said Anne-Sophie Parent, Secretary General of AGE Platform Europe. “The study highlights similarities in the needs of older persons and the essential goods and services that are considered as necessary for the social inclusion and participation of older people in the three pilot countries. Yet, significant differences exist regarding the adequac the median income. When defining the level of minimum income, it is crucial to consider also non-monetary aspects, such as access to quality health and longterm care, decent housing, leisure and social activities, civic participation etc.”
AGE Platform Europe & EMIN study: What should an adequate old-age income entail to live in dignity?
