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European Senior Organisation - PES-seniors

ESO - PES-seniors

ESO-PES-seniors is the umbrella organization of socialist and social-democratic senior-organizations in Europe ESO aims to improve the position of senior citizens in Europe, their access to fundamental rights and their participation in political decision processes. Therefore we need a fundamental shift in the narrative about older persons and a rights-based approach to ageing. This narrative is sees “older persons” as full contributors to society from the perspectives of “active-citizenship, self-determination, emancipation and equality” where solidarity is an indispensable component. That is why ESO attaches great importance to solidarity among all generations.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness

10 Nov 2025

ESO's contribution to the European Commission's public consultation on the European Intergenerational Fairness Strategy. (second contribution) ESO (European Senior Organisation) www.socialistseniors.eu the European umbrella organization for older persons organizations committed to the social democratic values of solidarity, equality, and the respect for universal and democratic rights aspires for a European intergenerational fairness strategy that aims for solidarity, equality, and non-discrimination, in accordance with the EU treaties. In our view, this is only possible if the strategy relies on a balanced set of supporting policy instruments. In our previous contribution to the discussion document attached we pointed out the lack of a European strategy for older persons, or an AGE equality strategy, as a third building block alongside the existing youth strategy and guarantee and the child guarantee. Aging is a policy priority that affects all generations: indeed, today's children and young people are tomorrow's older people, and the policies designed today will apply to them. Additionally, in reality that parents and grandparents often step in to care for their grandchildren when childcare is lacking, and parents are cared by their children when care and long-term care are not available. We therefore regret the lack of support from the European Commission for a European strategy for older people or an AGE equality strategy, as a third cornerstone underpinning a European Intergenerational Fairness Strategy. ESO therefore fully supports the proposal for an Action Programme Against Ageism with its nine flagships, as proposed by AGE-Platform-Europe. We wish to express our concern about the growing distancing between generations. Rather than focusing on conflicting interests between generations, we are demanding to address the growing gap between (advantaged) rich and (disadvantaged) poor groups in society, between the highly educated and the less educated, and the large differences in life expectancy across these two sections of society. Aging requires an approach across the entire life cycle, with an emphasis on prevention. Aging also requires a fundamental shift in mindset about ageing: a positive mindset increases the chances of healthy and active aging. Therefore, it is important that all generations strengthen each other, works together, and that their organizations are strongly involved in the intergenerational and intragenerational strategy. This strategy must be supported by a set of supporting policy instruments. ESO draws the attention of the European Commission to the considerable experience and expertise in ageing-policy of the World Health Organisation (WHO), including its instrument for age-friendly cities and communities and the new "Aging is Living" strategy, and urges genuine collaboration between the European Commission and the WHO. Attached you will find our previous written contribution to the consultation from June 2025, in which we also call for a rights-based approach to ageing, for a strong directive on equal treatment and against discrimination, including discrimination based on age, for the provision of the necessary financial and human resources to prepare, monitor and implement the strategies, and for the recognition of all age groups involved, including older people and their organisations, as full citizens and partners in the process. Brussels, November 10. 2025
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Response to The new Action Plan on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights

4 Sept 2025

ESO welcomes the initiative of the European Commission to work out a new action plan to implement the European Pillar of Social Rights, while highlighting its own ESO Work Programme for 20242029, approved at the ESO seminar in November 2024, and which contains concrete proposals for a European policy on ageing and the rights for older persons. Given the many new challenges and priorities, the challenge of the rapidly increasing ageing of the population and its consequences for our social systems, has faded into the background in recent years. However, ageing is and remains a very important challenge and the concerns of older persons need to be fully included in social policy agendas and plans. Therefore, similarly to other civil society organisations, and in particular AGE-Europe platform, ESO calls for a rights-based, intersectional and life-course approach to social policy and an age equality perspective in the new action plan to implement the Pillar of Social Rights. In concrete terms, ESO advocates mainstreaming age equality across all 20 areas of the European Pillar of Social Rights, in line with what we also address in our contribution to the European Intergenerational Fairness Strategy: the development of a European strategy for older people, including a European care guarantee. ESO is deeply concerned that access to rights is increasingly being hampered by all sorts of administrative procedures and requirements, and by widespread digitalization that affects older people more than others. That is why we advocate for simple and accessible procedures and personalized, face-to-face guidance when applying for social benefits, rights and services and, where possible, an automatic entitlement to social benefits and security. ESO is asking for stricter monitoring of the access of older persons to fundamental rights both at European and at member state levels. In this context, we advocate for strengthening the European Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), enabling it to regularly monitor older people's access to their rights at all levels. This strengthening concerns its remit, staffing, and links to the competent services and administrations in the Member States. In line with this, we also expect the European Union and its Member States to support and commit to the realization of a United Nations Convention on Older Persons Rights. ESO also advocates for public funding of civil society organisations that work for awareness-raising, participation and education of their target-groups. ESO is also requesting sufficient budgetary and human resources to support, to follow-up and to implement the action-plan. You will find our specific demands in the document in attachment or on our website : https://socialistseniors.eu/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/ESO-contribution-EC-consultation-on-actionplan-social-pilar-2025-def.pdf
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