Building Bridges for an Age-friendly Europe in Rotterdam
On 4 September 2026, the European Democratic Party (EDP) and the Jan Nagel Foundation brought together political representatives in Rotterdam for “Building Bridges for an Age-friendly Europe”, with the participation of the EDP’s Dutch member party 50PLUS.
The meeting was opened by Gerrit-Jan van Otterloo, President of the Jan Nagel Foundation and Vice-President of the European Democratic Party, who welcomed participants to a debate on ageing, the contribution of older people to society and solidarity between generations.
The event focused in particular on the need for a stronger European strategy to recognise unpaid work and reinforce solidarity between generations.
“Europe has spent too long recognising only the work that appears on a payslip. Caring for a parent, raising children, supporting a family or volunteering in a community is work too — it creates real economic and social value. Yet millions of Europeans, especially women, still pay a lifelong price for it through lower pensions and weaker social protection.
We European Democrats, together with our Dutch member party 50PLUS, believe this must change. Europe needs a common strategy to ensure that care work and family responsibilities are properly recognised in our pension and social protection systems.
But fairness between generations must also be at the heart of this debate. In an ageing Europe, we need a stronger intergenerational dialogue — one that brings younger and older Europeans together instead of setting their interests against each other. Each generation contributes differently to our common future, and each has something to learn from and offer the others. Solidarity between generations is not a burden: it is one of the foundations of our European social model,” said Sandro Gozi, Secretary General of the European Democratic Party.
The debate also highlighted the essential contribution older people continue to make to society, from caring responsibilities and volunteering to supporting younger generations.
“Older people are often seen as a burden. But they are of great value to society. Older people are caregivers, volunteers, and they help look after their grandchildren. Without their contribution, our society would fall apart. Older people are the glue that holds society together,” said Jan Struijs, leader of 50PLUS in the Dutch House of Representatives.
The European Democrats and 50PLUS stressed that an age-friendly Europe must combine adequate and sustainable pensions, protection against old-age poverty, greater recognition of unpaid care work and active participation in society, while rejecting any attempt to pit younger and older generations against each other.
The EDP is calling in particular for care and family responsibilities to be better reflected in pension systems, so that those who devote part of their lives to caring for others are not penalised later in life.
