Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-14-Speech-2-274"
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"en.20030114.8.2-274"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, this report is good, the Commission proposal is a good one, and, although you, Commissioner, can be thanked for this, permit me one comment. I found in the report the word ‘Überalterung’. I do not know what that is in Greek, English, or any other language, but in German it amounts to quite offensive discrimination against older – or as the word in question would have it, superannuated – people. When one is no longer as young and beautiful as you are, but, like me, is in one's seventieth year, that sort of thing causes an enormous amount of anguish. Let us at last stop using these stupid expressions about the superannuation or geriatrification of Europe. Even though you can read it all over the media, it is quite simply not true. Never have there been so many people alive in Europe as there are today and never before has there been such high life expectancy as there is now. As recently as 150 years ago, average life expectancy was around 40 years, and now it is 80. Any girl born today has the chance to live to a hundred. People today have the good fortune to be able, at long last, to live to an age that has in fact always been genetically possible. So let us stop talking about any geriatrification of Europe or about its superannuation. I assume that this has simply escaped your notice. Please stop talking about people being superannuated.
Let me make another comment. In the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy, I tabled a whole series of amendments, all of which were adopted. I am very pleased about that. There is one amendment of which I am particularly proud, Commissioner, and it is one that I should especially like to commend to you. It has to do with something that is a quite splendid addition to what has been achieved in terms of family and social policy – continued remuneration for one week in the year in the event of a person remaining at home to care for a close family member – perhaps a parent or grandparent – who has become ill. That is the law in Austria, so that any working person can stay at home for one week in the year to care for his or her elderly family members
I think it is a great thing that the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy has adopted this amendment. I hope that we will do the same when we vote tomorrow. Commissioner, I commend this matter to your care."@en1
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