PRESENTATION: MOTIVATION FOLDER of EGS
Rue du Taciturne 34 in B-1000 Brussels, Belgium. Company number: 818.851.234
Last Years
The European Green Seniors (formerly European Network of Green Seniors) has existed since 2005. The association was founded a year after the European Green Party was founded (22. February 2004). Green Seniors in various countries were triggered to set up their own movement within the newly founded Green Party. They wanted to be actively involved in the European Green Party and influence decision-making with their own vision and based on their own needs.
The Green Seniors saw themselves as part of the EGP. The structural place of ENGS was then however set up as a Network organization of the EGP (alongside other Networks). ENGS was subsequently established as an International Non-Profit Association under the Belgian Associations Act and its registered office was located at the EGP’s home address.
We are very pleased with the support provided to European Green Seniors by EGP in recent years. We have been able to hold our activities at congresses: holding our general assemblies, offer fringe meetings, providing information about the situation of older people at our stand and engaging in dialogue and networking. During the last Councils, we were able to attract the attention of the participants with performances.
Today, the EGS is still a “Network Organization” of EGP, although EGS is evolving more into a movement of Green Seniors and preferably within the EGP.
Since the Covid pandemic we have also been able to focus on digital meetings, webinars and ‘open board meetings’ and we were able to maintain the debate with green seniors between the EGP Councils. On various related topics we have made position papers and informative folders.
All this led to the expansion of our membership and a greater response from green seniors in the member countries. We now have members in 10 European countries.
Green Seniors are important
We all know that demographic change is here: by 2030, a quarter of the European population will be over 65 years old.
The group of very old people in particular is growing. We must prepare for this now by making our cities and communities age-friendly. This not only enables older people to participate in society and politics, but also makes life easier for all other generations – from greater accessibility to measures against loneliness.
As Green Seniors, it is important to talk to seniors regularly so that we can identify and address their needs and issues. We need to be able to pass on those needs within our national parties as well as to our European MEPs.
To do this, we need Green Senior groups all over Europe. However, Green parties have so far tended to focus more on younger people. That is right and important. But we must not forget the Seniors.
Older people often feel that their issues are not being heard and that they are invisible to others. Older people experience little appreciation and ageism, which is still far too little talked about today. In a society of longer life, however, we can no longer afford to do without the resources of older people.
We need new images of old age, because there is no such thing as ‘the elderly’; they are just as diverse and colourful as all other generations. This has not yet sunk in with many people, not even with us Greens. This is a big mistake, because we will not win elections without the elderly. That is why we need a Green policy on ageing that is more than just care and pensions.
Conclusion
The conclusion is that we need to build bridges between the generations. We are already experiencing enough division these days. There are also many similarities, because values, education and income differ much more than age. And calendar age is totally overrated; biological age is much more important. And that is very individual. That is why we also want to rethink age limits.
We Green Seniors give older people a voice that must be heard in our parties and by the European Greens.
We, Green Seniors, want to start a conversation and debate about all these issues with the European Greens. What we Green Seniors achieve today will also make life easier for today’s young people later on. Because ageing affects everyone at some point. So, we are not only fighting for ourselves, but also for all future generations.
Brussels, June 2025
Kris Fierens (President – Be)
Christa Möller-Metzger (Vice-President – De) Irmgard Seidler (Secretary General – At)
