On 4 May 2012 the Committee of the Regions (CoR) agreed unanimously on the Opinion drafted by Arnoldas Abramavicius on “Active Ageing: Innovation, Smart Health, Better Lives”, which was requested by the Danish Presidency.

© Zanetta Hardy | SXC

In this Opinion, the CoR stresses the need to promote age-friendly environments to respond to the needs of the ageing population and calls on the European Commission to launch a European Covenant of Mayors on Demographic Change as a legacy to the European Year 2012. This Covenant would gather local and regional authorities interested in promoting innovation, smart health and better lives solutions in support of active and healthy ageing.

The CoR also supports the proposal made under the European Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP-AHA) to set up a European Network on Age-Friendly Environments and welcomes AGE Platform Europe and World Health Organisation efforts to initiate such network.

The CoR recommends that EU funds should be allocated for an adequate development of such an EU network in close cooperation with WHO and recommends that the Commission should make research into the very old a priority.

The Opinion is available here.