BETA


2010/2157(INI) Demographic change and its consequences for the future cohesion policy of the EU

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead REGI WESTPHAL Kerstin (icon: S&D S&D) MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ Radvilė (icon: PPE PPE), HYUSMENOVA Filiz (icon: ALDE ALDE), SCHROEDTER Elisabeth (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), VLASÁK Oldřich (icon: ECR ECR)
Committee Opinion FEMM ZÁBORSKÁ Anna (icon: PPE PPE) Silvia COSTA (icon: S&D S&D)
Committee Opinion EMPL ESSAYAH Sari (icon: PPE PPE) Gabriele ZIMMER (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 052

Events

2011/11/15
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2011/11/15
   EP - Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
Details

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on demographic change and its consequences for the future cohesion policy of the EU.

Parliament considers that the rising life expectancy in Europe is to be welcomed and that the opportunities inherent in demographic change need to be carefully examined and exploited , including with the support provided by the cohesion policy instruments. It believes that the impact of demographic change varies substantially from region to region, depending on whether it is rapid or slow and whether the region concerned is a region of net immigration or of shrinking population and therefore requires a different adjustment strategy, and must be tackled in a coordinated way by all European, national and regional authorities.

Parliament considers that the current worsening demographic situation in at least some Member States will stimulate discussions regarding pension-systems reform in the near future

The resolution sets out the following recommendations:

(1) Structural policy reforms : the resolution highlights the fact that demographic change, especially population ageing, has a clear impact on the provision of social infrastructure, such as pension systems, nursing care and healthcare. Parliament calls for proactive measures to prevent the negative consequences of demographic change and increase technical assistance to the regions suffering the most from depopulation and ageing , in order to ensure that they retain their absorption capacity and the ability to benefit from the Structural Funds.

Parliament calls on the Commission to include demographic change as a horizontal objective in the future cohesion policy . It also encourages the Member States and regions to pay greater heed than in the past to demographic change and its effects, making measures to tackle it a horizontal objective in the shaping of the national strategic framework programmes (or any corresponding document) and in their operational programmes.

The Member States and regions are asked to consider the divergent development levels of the regions and also demographic indicators, for example the dependency ratio, when allocating and distributing EU structural funds and when defining impact indicators.

(2) Urban development/infrastructure: the resolution encourages the regions to use the Structural Funds to help address demographic challenges and to improve access to social and administrative services , including in small and remote towns and villages, by promoting the specific potential of each region and strengthening the factors that make people want to stay. The Commission is called upon to create more flexible conditions in order to promote cross-financing between ERDF and ESF when devising and implementing integrated urban development plans/strategies .

If depopulation is to be prevented, then child- and family-friendly towns and cities need to be developed and adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and with restricted mobility. This implies, among other things: i) wherever possible, distances between workplaces, housing and recreational areas should not be excessive; ii) residential, commercial and green areas should alternate; iii) connections with suburban areas earmarked as new residential areas should be improved; and iv) the further development of teleworking opportunities;

Parliament stresses the following aspects, in particular:

the need to take into account, in the future funds, the anchor function of small towns in regions of net migration which have a particularly important role to play as service centres; the use of ERDF funds to prevent the social exclusion of the elderly; the development of elderly-friendly towns and cities as one of the priorities of urban policy; the need to revitalise and restructure inner cities; the importance of making the most of tourism potential; the development of innovative concepts for local public transport in order to address the challenge of dwindling passenger numbers, particularly in rural areas.

(3) The elderly, children and families: Parliament advocates that loans with low interest rates which could support the adaptation of housing to the needs of the elderly could be given priority under the ERDF. Member States are called upon to:

provide funding to ensure the availability of care at home and universal healthcare for elderly people, irrespective of their income, age and social status, so as to prevent the depopulation of rural areas and peripheral regions; ensure good healthcare provision in rural and border areas as well, for example through the provision of regional medical care gateway clinics and health services which make it possible to combat 'medical desertification', and, in border regions, through closer cross-border cooperation between clinics and between stakeholders; consider the possibility of using the Structural Funds to promote additional measures in the field of telemedicine and care and to support active ageing.

The resolution also underlines the importance of:

creating conditions which enable people to achieve a work/family/private life balance and, for example, of providing, where feasible, universally available, reliable, all-day childcare facilities of high quality for children of all ages, including facilities and opportunities for pre-school-learning, in order to prevent depopulation; providing enough affordable housing space should be available for families, so that family and working life can be reconciled more effectively, because support for young families can help to increase the birth rate in Member States.

(4) Migration/integration: Parliament emphasises that migration might give rise to certain integration problems. It recognises, however, that migration offers, in particular to regions experiencing net outflows, the opportunity to stem the negative impact of demographic change. It calls, therefore, on the Member States to recognise the integration of migrants as a strategically important policy measure .

Members call on the Member States to agree on a common strategy on legal migration , not least since Europe is, especially in certain given sectors, reliant upon the migration of skilled workers (both between the Member States and from outside the EU, particularly those bordering the Union) for demographic reasons. They propose that more funding should be provided for the integration of immigrants in order to dispel prejudices, and that training and communal events to encourage exchanges could be promoted.

In the area of employment , Members believe that the regions should use ESF funds in a decisive manner to combat youth unemployment by supporting training measures for and entrepreneurship among young people. They also believe that support should continue to be given with a view to raising the female employment rate.

Lastly, Parliament considers that demographic developments in the regions should be statistically measured and calls on the Commission to submit proposals to make local, regional and national databases on demographic development comparable, so that data can be evaluated at European level and that the exchanges of best practices between States, regions and localities can be fostered.

The Commission is invited to find ways of reshaping the idea of an Erasmus programme for local and regional elected representatives in an appropriate form.

Documents
2011/11/15
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2011/11/14
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2011/10/14
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Documents
2011/10/14
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Documents
2011/10/06
   EP - Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
Details

The Committee on Regional Development adopted the own-initiative report drafted by Kerstin WESTPHAL (S&D, DE) on demographic change and its consequences for the future cohesion policy of the EU.

Members believe that the impact of demographic change varies substantially from region to region. Therefore, different adjustment strategies are required and must be tackled in a coordinated way by all European, national and regional authorities.

The report sets out the following recommendations:

Structural policy reforms : the report highlights the fact that demographic change, especially population ageing , has a clear impact on the provision of social infrastructure, such as pension systems, nursing care and healthcare. It calls for proactive measures to prevent the negative consequences of demographic change and increase technical assistance to the regions suffering the most from depopulation and ageing, in order to ensure that they retain their absorption capacity and the ability to benefit from the Structural Funds. Members call on the Commission to include demographic change as a horizontal objective in the future cohesion policy . The report encourages the Member States and regions to pay greater heed than in the past to demographic change and its effects, making measures to tackle it a horizontal objective in the shaping of the national strategic framework programmes (or any corresponding document) and in their operational programmes.

The Member States and regions are asked to consider the divergent development levels of the regions and also demographic indicators, for example the dependency ratio, when allocating and distributing EU structural funds and when defining impact indicators.

Urban development/infrastructure : the report encourages the regions to use the Structural Funds to help address demographic challenges and to improve access to social and administrative services, including in small and remote towns and villages, by promoting the specific potential of each region and strengthening the factors that make people want to stay. The Commission is called upon to create more flexible conditions in order to promote cross-financing between ERDF and ESF when devising and implementing integrated urban development plans/strategies .

If depopulation is to be prevented, then child- and family-friendly towns and cities need to be developed and adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and with restricted mobility.

The report also focuses on the following aspects:

further development of teleworking opportunities; highlighting that ERDF funds can also be used to prevent the social exclusion of the elderly; development of elderly-friendly towns and cities; taking into account and develop urban tourism potential and heritage objectives, as these present opportunities to attract new residents into areas at risk of depopulation; developing innovative concepts for local public transport in order to address, among other things, the challenge of dwindling passenger numbers, particularly in rural areas.

The elderly, children and families : the report advocates that loans with low interest rates which could support the adaptation of housing to the needs of the elderly could be given priority under the ERDF. It proposes offering the opportunity for financial resources to be provided under certain conditions for sheltered housing complexes and multi-generational housing, with a view to preventing the isolation of the elderly and harnessing their creative potential, in order to guarantee a better quality of life for an ageing society.

Member States are called upon to:

bring welfare and healthcare benefits into line with the needs of everyone, especially families and children, and provide funding to ensure the availability of care at home and universal healthcare for elderly people, irrespective of their income, age and social status, so as to prevent the depopulation of rural areas and peripheral regions; ensure good healthcare provision in rural areas as well, for example through the provision of regional medical care gateway clinics and health services which make it possible to combat ‘medical desertification’, and, in border regions, through closer cross-border cooperation between clinics and between stakeholders; consider the possibility of using the Structural Funds to promote additional measures in the field of telemedicine and care and to support active ageing.

The report also underlines the importance of:

creating conditions which enable people to achieve a work/family/private life balance and, for example, of providing, where feasible, universally available, reliable, all-day childcare facilities of high quality for children of all ages, including facilities and opportunities for pre-school-learning, in order to prevent depopulation; providing enough affordable housing space should be available for families, so that family and working life can be reconciled more effectively, because support for young families can help to increase the birth rate in Member States.

Migration/integration : the report emphasises that the migration might give rise to certain integration problems. It recognises, however, that migration offers, in particular to regions experiencing net outflows, the opportunity to stem the negative impact of demographic change. Members call, therefore, on the Member States to recognise the integration of migrants as a strategically important policy measure .

Members call on the Member States to agree on a common strategy on legal migration, not least since Europe is, especially in certain given sectors, reliant upon the migration of skilled workers (both between the Member States and from outside the EU, particularly those bordering the Union) for demographic reasons. They propose that more funding should be provided for the integration of immigrants in order to dispel prejudices, and that training and communal events to encourage exchanges could be promoted.

Employment : Members believe that the regions should use ESF funds in a decisive manner to combat youth unemployment by supporting training measures for and entrepreneurship among young people. They also believe that support should continue to be given with a view to raising the female employment rate.

Lastly, the report considers that demographic developments in the regions should be statistically measured and calls on the Commission to submit proposals to make local, regional and national databases on demographic development comparable, so that data can be evaluated at European level and that the exchanges of best practices between States, regions and localities can be fostered.

2011/07/25
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2011/06/08
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2011/04/26
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2011/04/19
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2011/03/24
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2010/09/09
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
2010/07/14
   EP - ZÁBORSKÁ Anna (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in FEMM
2010/07/08
   EP - ESSAYAH Sari (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in EMPL
2010/06/03
   EP - WESTPHAL Kerstin (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in REGI

Documents

Activities

AmendmentsDossier
286 2010/2157(INI)
2011/02/11 EMPL 49 amendments...
source: PE-458.547
2011/03/28 FEMM 50 amendments...
source: PE-462.557
2011/06/08 REGI 170 amendments...
source: PE-467.065
2011/07/25 REGI 17 amendments...
source: PE-469.971

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Regional Development
committee
REGI
rapporteur
name: WESTPHAL Kerstin date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00 group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Regional Development
committee
REGI
date
2010-06-03T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: WESTPHAL Kerstin group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
rapporteur
name: ESSAYAH Sari date: 2010-07-08T00:00:00 group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
date
2010-07-08T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: ESSAYAH Sari group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/2
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Women's Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
rapporteur
name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna date: 2010-07-14T00:00:00 group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/2
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Women's Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
date
2010-07-14T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
docs/5/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-350&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2011-0350_EN.html
events/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-350&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2011-0350_EN.html
events/5/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-485
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2011-0485_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2010-09-09T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-07-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: ESSAYAH Sari body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2010-07-14T00:00:00 committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: PPE name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ Radvilė group: ALDE name: HYUSMENOVA Filiz group: Verts/ALE name: SCHROEDTER Elisabeth group: ECR name: VLASÁK Oldřich responsible: True committee: REGI date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: WESTPHAL Kerstin
  • date: 2011-10-06T00:00:00 body: EP committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-07-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: ESSAYAH Sari body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2010-07-14T00:00:00 committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: PPE name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ Radvilė group: ALDE name: HYUSMENOVA Filiz group: Verts/ALE name: SCHROEDTER Elisabeth group: ECR name: VLASÁK Oldřich responsible: True committee: REGI date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: WESTPHAL Kerstin type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2011-10-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-350&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0350/2011 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2011-11-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111114&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2011-11-15T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=20677&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-485 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0485/2011 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
commission
  • body: EC dg: Regional and Urban Policy commissioner: HAHN Johannes
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Regional Development
committee
REGI
date
2010-06-03T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: WESTPHAL Kerstin group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
committees/0
body
EP
responsible
False
committee
EMPL
date
2010-07-08T00:00:00
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
rapporteur
group: PPE name: ESSAYAH Sari
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
date
2010-07-08T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: ESSAYAH Sari group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/1
body
EP
responsible
False
committee
FEMM
date
2010-07-14T00:00:00
committee_full
Women's Rights and Gender Equality
rapporteur
group: PPE name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna
committees/2
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Women's Rights and Gender Equality
committee
FEMM
date
2010-07-14T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/2
body
EP
shadows
responsible
True
committee
REGI
date
2010-06-03T00:00:00
committee_full
Regional Development
rapporteur
group: S&D name: WESTPHAL Kerstin
docs
  • date: 2011-03-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE462.525 title: PE462.525 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2011-04-19T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE454.444&secondRef=03 title: PE454.444 committee: EMPL type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2011-04-26T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE458.821&secondRef=03 title: PE458.821 committee: FEMM type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2011-06-08T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE467.065 title: PE467.065 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2011-07-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE469.971 title: PE469.971 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2011-10-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-350&language=EN title: A7-0350/2011 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP
events
  • date: 2010-09-09T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2011-10-06T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP summary: The Committee on Regional Development adopted the own-initiative report drafted by Kerstin WESTPHAL (S&D, DE) on demographic change and its consequences for the future cohesion policy of the EU. Members believe that the impact of demographic change varies substantially from region to region. Therefore, different adjustment strategies are required and must be tackled in a coordinated way by all European, national and regional authorities. The report sets out the following recommendations: Structural policy reforms : the report highlights the fact that demographic change, especially population ageing , has a clear impact on the provision of social infrastructure, such as pension systems, nursing care and healthcare. It calls for proactive measures to prevent the negative consequences of demographic change and increase technical assistance to the regions suffering the most from depopulation and ageing, in order to ensure that they retain their absorption capacity and the ability to benefit from the Structural Funds. Members call on the Commission to include demographic change as a horizontal objective in the future cohesion policy . The report encourages the Member States and regions to pay greater heed than in the past to demographic change and its effects, making measures to tackle it a horizontal objective in the shaping of the national strategic framework programmes (or any corresponding document) and in their operational programmes. The Member States and regions are asked to consider the divergent development levels of the regions and also demographic indicators, for example the dependency ratio, when allocating and distributing EU structural funds and when defining impact indicators. Urban development/infrastructure : the report encourages the regions to use the Structural Funds to help address demographic challenges and to improve access to social and administrative services, including in small and remote towns and villages, by promoting the specific potential of each region and strengthening the factors that make people want to stay. The Commission is called upon to create more flexible conditions in order to promote cross-financing between ERDF and ESF when devising and implementing integrated urban development plans/strategies . If depopulation is to be prevented, then child- and family-friendly towns and cities need to be developed and adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and with restricted mobility. The report also focuses on the following aspects: further development of teleworking opportunities; highlighting that ERDF funds can also be used to prevent the social exclusion of the elderly; development of elderly-friendly towns and cities; taking into account and develop urban tourism potential and heritage objectives, as these present opportunities to attract new residents into areas at risk of depopulation; developing innovative concepts for local public transport in order to address, among other things, the challenge of dwindling passenger numbers, particularly in rural areas. The elderly, children and families : the report advocates that loans with low interest rates which could support the adaptation of housing to the needs of the elderly could be given priority under the ERDF. It proposes offering the opportunity for financial resources to be provided under certain conditions for sheltered housing complexes and multi-generational housing, with a view to preventing the isolation of the elderly and harnessing their creative potential, in order to guarantee a better quality of life for an ageing society. Member States are called upon to: bring welfare and healthcare benefits into line with the needs of everyone, especially families and children, and provide funding to ensure the availability of care at home and universal healthcare for elderly people, irrespective of their income, age and social status, so as to prevent the depopulation of rural areas and peripheral regions; ensure good healthcare provision in rural areas as well, for example through the provision of regional medical care gateway clinics and health services which make it possible to combat ‘medical desertification’, and, in border regions, through closer cross-border cooperation between clinics and between stakeholders; consider the possibility of using the Structural Funds to promote additional measures in the field of telemedicine and care and to support active ageing. The report also underlines the importance of: creating conditions which enable people to achieve a work/family/private life balance and, for example, of providing, where feasible, universally available, reliable, all-day childcare facilities of high quality for children of all ages, including facilities and opportunities for pre-school-learning, in order to prevent depopulation; providing enough affordable housing space should be available for families, so that family and working life can be reconciled more effectively, because support for young families can help to increase the birth rate in Member States. Migration/integration : the report emphasises that the migration might give rise to certain integration problems. It recognises, however, that migration offers, in particular to regions experiencing net outflows, the opportunity to stem the negative impact of demographic change. Members call, therefore, on the Member States to recognise the integration of migrants as a strategically important policy measure . Members call on the Member States to agree on a common strategy on legal migration, not least since Europe is, especially in certain given sectors, reliant upon the migration of skilled workers (both between the Member States and from outside the EU, particularly those bordering the Union) for demographic reasons. They propose that more funding should be provided for the integration of immigrants in order to dispel prejudices, and that training and communal events to encourage exchanges could be promoted. Employment : Members believe that the regions should use ESF funds in a decisive manner to combat youth unemployment by supporting training measures for and entrepreneurship among young people. They also believe that support should continue to be given with a view to raising the female employment rate. Lastly, the report considers that demographic developments in the regions should be statistically measured and calls on the Commission to submit proposals to make local, regional and national databases on demographic development comparable, so that data can be evaluated at European level and that the exchanges of best practices between States, regions and localities can be fostered.
  • date: 2011-10-14T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-350&language=EN title: A7-0350/2011
  • date: 2011-11-14T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111114&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2011-11-15T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=20677&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2011-11-15T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-485 title: T7-0485/2011 summary: The European Parliament adopted a resolution on demographic change and its consequences for the future cohesion policy of the EU. Parliament considers that the rising life expectancy in Europe is to be welcomed and that the opportunities inherent in demographic change need to be carefully examined and exploited , including with the support provided by the cohesion policy instruments. It believes that the impact of demographic change varies substantially from region to region, depending on whether it is rapid or slow and whether the region concerned is a region of net immigration or of shrinking population and therefore requires a different adjustment strategy, and must be tackled in a coordinated way by all European, national and regional authorities. Parliament considers that the current worsening demographic situation in at least some Member States will stimulate discussions regarding pension-systems reform in the near future The resolution sets out the following recommendations: (1) Structural policy reforms : the resolution highlights the fact that demographic change, especially population ageing, has a clear impact on the provision of social infrastructure, such as pension systems, nursing care and healthcare. Parliament calls for proactive measures to prevent the negative consequences of demographic change and increase technical assistance to the regions suffering the most from depopulation and ageing , in order to ensure that they retain their absorption capacity and the ability to benefit from the Structural Funds. Parliament calls on the Commission to include demographic change as a horizontal objective in the future cohesion policy . It also encourages the Member States and regions to pay greater heed than in the past to demographic change and its effects, making measures to tackle it a horizontal objective in the shaping of the national strategic framework programmes (or any corresponding document) and in their operational programmes. The Member States and regions are asked to consider the divergent development levels of the regions and also demographic indicators, for example the dependency ratio, when allocating and distributing EU structural funds and when defining impact indicators. (2) Urban development/infrastructure: the resolution encourages the regions to use the Structural Funds to help address demographic challenges and to improve access to social and administrative services , including in small and remote towns and villages, by promoting the specific potential of each region and strengthening the factors that make people want to stay. The Commission is called upon to create more flexible conditions in order to promote cross-financing between ERDF and ESF when devising and implementing integrated urban development plans/strategies . If depopulation is to be prevented, then child- and family-friendly towns and cities need to be developed and adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and with restricted mobility. This implies, among other things: i) wherever possible, distances between workplaces, housing and recreational areas should not be excessive; ii) residential, commercial and green areas should alternate; iii) connections with suburban areas earmarked as new residential areas should be improved; and iv) the further development of teleworking opportunities; Parliament stresses the following aspects, in particular: the need to take into account, in the future funds, the anchor function of small towns in regions of net migration which have a particularly important role to play as service centres; the use of ERDF funds to prevent the social exclusion of the elderly; the development of elderly-friendly towns and cities as one of the priorities of urban policy; the need to revitalise and restructure inner cities; the importance of making the most of tourism potential; the development of innovative concepts for local public transport in order to address the challenge of dwindling passenger numbers, particularly in rural areas. (3) The elderly, children and families: Parliament advocates that loans with low interest rates which could support the adaptation of housing to the needs of the elderly could be given priority under the ERDF. Member States are called upon to: provide funding to ensure the availability of care at home and universal healthcare for elderly people, irrespective of their income, age and social status, so as to prevent the depopulation of rural areas and peripheral regions; ensure good healthcare provision in rural and border areas as well, for example through the provision of regional medical care gateway clinics and health services which make it possible to combat 'medical desertification', and, in border regions, through closer cross-border cooperation between clinics and between stakeholders; consider the possibility of using the Structural Funds to promote additional measures in the field of telemedicine and care and to support active ageing. The resolution also underlines the importance of: creating conditions which enable people to achieve a work/family/private life balance and, for example, of providing, where feasible, universally available, reliable, all-day childcare facilities of high quality for children of all ages, including facilities and opportunities for pre-school-learning, in order to prevent depopulation; providing enough affordable housing space should be available for families, so that family and working life can be reconciled more effectively, because support for young families can help to increase the birth rate in Member States. (4) Migration/integration: Parliament emphasises that migration might give rise to certain integration problems. It recognises, however, that migration offers, in particular to regions experiencing net outflows, the opportunity to stem the negative impact of demographic change. It calls, therefore, on the Member States to recognise the integration of migrants as a strategically important policy measure . Members call on the Member States to agree on a common strategy on legal migration , not least since Europe is, especially in certain given sectors, reliant upon the migration of skilled workers (both between the Member States and from outside the EU, particularly those bordering the Union) for demographic reasons. They propose that more funding should be provided for the integration of immigrants in order to dispel prejudices, and that training and communal events to encourage exchanges could be promoted. In the area of employment , Members believe that the regions should use ESF funds in a decisive manner to combat youth unemployment by supporting training measures for and entrepreneurship among young people. They also believe that support should continue to be given with a view to raising the female employment rate. Lastly, Parliament considers that demographic developments in the regions should be statistically measured and calls on the Commission to submit proposals to make local, regional and national databases on demographic development comparable, so that data can be evaluated at European level and that the exchanges of best practices between States, regions and localities can be fostered. The Commission is invited to find ways of reshaping the idea of an Erasmus programme for local and regional elected representatives in an appropriate form.
  • date: 2011-11-15T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/regional_policy/index_en.htm title: Regional and Urban Policy commissioner: HAHN Johannes
procedure/Modified legal basis
Old
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
New
Rules of Procedure EP 150
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
REGI/7/03650
New
  • REGI/7/03650
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 052
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
procedure/subject
Old
  • 4.10.14 Demography
  • 4.70.02 Cohesion policy, Cohesion Fund
New
4.10.14
Demography
4.70.02
Cohesion policy, Cohesion Fund (CF)
procedure/title
Old
Demographic change and its consequences for the future Cohesion Policy of the EU
New
Demographic change and its consequences for the future cohesion policy of the EU
other/0/dg/title
Old
Regional Policy
New
Regional and Urban Policy
procedure/subject/1
Old
4.70.02 Cohesion, Cohesion Fund
New
4.70.02 Cohesion policy, Cohesion Fund
activities
  • date: 2010-09-09T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-07-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: ESSAYAH Sari body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2010-07-14T00:00:00 committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: PPE name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ Radvilė group: ALDE name: HYUSMENOVA Filiz group: Verts/ALE name: SCHROEDTER Elisabeth group: ECR name: VLASÁK Oldřich responsible: True committee: REGI date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: WESTPHAL Kerstin
  • date: 2011-10-06T00:00:00 body: EP committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-07-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: ESSAYAH Sari body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2010-07-14T00:00:00 committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: PPE name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ Radvilė group: ALDE name: HYUSMENOVA Filiz group: Verts/ALE name: SCHROEDTER Elisabeth group: ECR name: VLASÁK Oldřich responsible: True committee: REGI date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: WESTPHAL Kerstin type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2011-10-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2011-350&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0350/2011 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2011-11-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20111114&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2011-11-15T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=20677&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2011-485 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0485/2011 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-07-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: ESSAYAH Sari
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: FEMM date: 2010-07-14T00:00:00 committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality rapporteur: group: PPE name: ZÁBORSKÁ Anna
  • body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: MORKŪNAITĖ-MIKULĖNIENĖ Radvilė group: ALDE name: HYUSMENOVA Filiz group: Verts/ALE name: SCHROEDTER Elisabeth group: ECR name: VLASÁK Oldřich responsible: True committee: REGI date: 2010-06-03T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: WESTPHAL Kerstin
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/regional_policy/index_en.htm title: Regional Policy commissioner: HAHN Johannes
procedure
dossier_of_the_committee
REGI/7/03650
reference
2010/2157(INI)
title
Demographic change and its consequences for the future Cohesion Policy of the EU
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
stage_reached
Procedure completed
subtype
Initiative
Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
type
INI - Own-initiative procedure
subject