AGE Platform Europe
Key contact
Anne-Sophie Parent
Other contacts:
Nena Georgantzi
Ilenia Gheno
About
AGE Platform Europe (AGE) is a European network of more than 140 organisations of people aged 50+ from around the EU-27, directly representing 25 million senior citizens.
AGE aims to voice and promote the interests of senior citizens and to raise awareness of the issues that concern them most. There are 150 million inhabitants aged 50+ in the European Union (EU).
AGE's main objective is to serve as a bridge between our member organisations and EU institutions to ensure that older people’s issues are on the EU agenda. Our regular activities involve the dissemination of relevant information to our network, and the retrieval of feedback. We are regularly in contact with EU institutions to voice the concerns of our members. AGE monitors EU policy development, and drafts position papers in response to key documents in close liaison with our members. We are always developing our network and providing support to our members to help them in their lobby activities at national level. We help our members coordinate their actions at national level with other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) pursuing similar aims.
Our main channels for information dissemination are: our monthly Bulletin, newsflashes, our website, brochures, the participation in national seminars on EU issues, running working groups on EU developments in the field of health, information and communication technologies, social protection, employment and age discrimination
Anne-Sophie Parent has been Director of AGE since September 2002. Prior to that she was Director of Autism-Europe for six years and played an important role in the establishment of the European Disability Forum. In March 2003, Anne-Sophie was elected President of the Platform of European Social NGOs (Social Platform) and was re-elected in April 2005 for a second mandate. She was elected Chair of the Civil Society Contact Group (CSCG) in November 2005. The CSCG brings together seven large European NGO platforms in the following fields: social (Social Platform), development (CONCORD), human rights (HRDN), environment (Green 10), women (EWL), culture (EFAH), public health (European Public Health Alliance).
Major Projects
AGE inc - Transnational Exchange Project - Social Inclusion developing the role of older people experiencing poverty and social exclusion.
Build for All - Accessible built environment.
EUROFAMCARE - Services for supporting family carers of elderly people in Europe: characteristics, coverage and usage.
FELICIE - Future Elderly Living Conditions in Europe (project ended 2006)
Healthy Ageing - A challenge for Europe
LACE - Educational programs aiming at volunteer involvement of older citizens
UNIACCESS - Promote and support the networking and coordination of research and innovation activities in the field of universal design of accessibility systems for public transport (project ended 2006)