Demographic change is changing the shape of Europe. Rising life expectancy, combined with low fertility rates and complex patterns of migration, mean that while the size of the population remains stable, its distribution and average age is rising steadily.

At the same time general health is improving, so that today’s 65-year-olds are likely to be healthier and more active than their parents were at the same age, and the proportion of people aged over 80 is rising rapidly. As a result, for the first time in history, a substantial – and growing – proportion of the population is healthy and active but not in the workforce.

This remarkable change is caused by three factors: rising life expectancy, an upward trend which has been consistent for over a century; low fertility rates, which vary between countries, but are overall below replacement rate; and migration, within Europe itself and between Europe and the rest of the world, which may help offset the effects of ageing in some counties or regions, but which brings its own challenges. Due to the great significance of this topic 14 European states and Canada have joined the Joint Programming Initiative “More Years, Better Lives – The Potentials and Challenges of Demographic Change (JPI MYBL)”.

The overall aim of this initiative is a better coordination of national and EU programmes in the field of demographic change. The Joint Programming Initiative is a collaborative project between participating countries, not a European funding programme. Implementation will therefore depend on the willingness of national governments and funding agencies to take part.

The launch event of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) of the JPI More Years Better Lives took place in Brussels the 11th April and aimed to present the Strategic Research Agenda to representatives of the European Commission, and Members of the European Parliament. The Agenda defines priorities for research and policy making in four domains of demographic impact on society: Quality of Life and Health, Economic and Social Production, Governance and Institutions, and Sustainability of Welfare in the EU.

Professor Paolo M. Rossini, internationally known neurologist, Director of the Neurology institute of the Cattolica del Sacro Cuore University and Chair of the JPI, underlines in an interview with Brussels Diplomatic the importance of the meeting in Brussels: ” Demographic change presents Europe with a complex range of issues, challenges and opportunities.

The “Europe2020 Strategic Agenda”   commits all Member States to the pursuit of “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” across Europe. If policymaking is successful, it could result in both a sustainable economy and an improved quality of life for all people of all ages. It would enable older people to remain active and contributing members of wider society, and ensure the protection of those at greatest risk of poor health and social exclusion. This will not happen by chance and in the past the reverse has often been the case. Achieving this goal calls for long term strategic thinking and policymaking, based on good evidence. We believe that this strategy will ensure that policymakers and practitioners, at all levels, have the evidence needed to ensure that all citizens of Europe have the most satisfying and productive lives possible. ‘’

He continues“For the first time Europe aims to insert in the national research programs of an important number of member states, a unifying approach hopefully producing an harmonized and innovative research strategy aiming to tackle the challenges related to the demographical changes. Our plan is to develop and foster a new type of interdisciplinary science tackling this important topic from – different scientific angulations including health, welfare, urbanization, mobility, social sciences, labour and production, and lifelong education. We believe that the research proposed would provide good quality evidence to inform policymaking, and that our arguments will also convince EU agencies and others to support work on particular issues from the agenda. Italy then in his role of chair underlines his active role through the commitment of the ministries of health and of the University and Research and through the commitment of the Cattolica University which recently enlarged his office in Brussels.”        

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