Dear President,

The International Longevity Centre-Europe (ILC Europe) – a European network of thought leaders focussed on the impact of longevity on society – would like to express our support for the European Commission’s work on adapting European policy to the reality of an ageing population, and the publication of the EU Green Paper on Ageing.

Alongside other major trends like climate change and COVID-19, population ageing is one of the defining issues of our time, impacting all aspects of society – from how we plan the future of health, to the high street and how we design the workplaces of the future.

In particular, ILC Europe supports the Green Paper’s call for a much-needed focus on preventing poor health at all stages of life, which will be vital when planning for an ageing society in the long term and building back out of the post-pandemic recovery in the short term. We know that prevention works. We know that it’s cost-effective. And we know that health equals wealth. But for too long, preventative services in health have been the first to be cut and the last to receive investment. In an ageing world, this needs to change.

It’s therefore vital that this Green Paper should not be put on a shelf to gather dust, but instead be a step towards a concerted European response to ageing. To encourage Member States and governments around the world to translate the important values of the Green Paper into action, we would like to join our friends AGE Platform Europe in calling for an EU White Paper on Ageing that commits to making European policy and practice work for all ages.

While often painted as a cost or drain on public resources, we know that longer lives could yield significant economic returns. A growing older population could mean more older workers, more older consumers and more older people contributing to society through volunteering and caring. A commitment to adapting society to our ageing population, could lead to a longevity dividend for us all.

If there is any way in which ILC Europe can support the Commission’s work on ageing, we are available and committed to assisting you in creating a society that works for all, regardless of age.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Liat Ayalon, Bar Llan University, Israel

Professor David Blane, Imperial College. UK

Professor A Mark Clarfield. ILC Israel/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Francoise Forette; Jean-Pierre Aquino and Didier Halimi, ILC France, France

Margaret Gllis. Incoming Co-President, ILC Global Alliance, Canada

Baroness Sally Greengross, Special Ambassador, ILC Global Alliance, UK

Assoc. Prof. Iva Holmerová, ILC Czech Republic/Centre of Gerontology, Czech Republic

David Sinclair, Director, International Longevity Centre – UK, UK

Professor Angela Kydd, Robert Gordon University, UK

Dr Matthew Lariviere, Lecturer in Social Policy, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol., UK

Giovanni Lamura, INRCA – IRCCS (National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing), Italy

Prof. Ariela Lowenstein , Gerontology Dept. Haifa University, Israel

Dr Catia Nicodemo, University of Oxford, UK

Colin Sanders, IndiVille, Belgium

Natale Gaspare De Santo, President European Association of Professors Emeriti Federica Previtali, Tampere University, Finland

Lucie Vidovićová, PhD, Assistant professor, Masaryk University, Czech Republic

Professor Alan Walker, University of Sheffield, UK

Dr Maria Łuszczyńska, Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow, Poland

Dr. Daniela Weber, Research Scholar, Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) Program