Draft:European Seniors' Union

The European Seniors' Union (ESU) is a political seniors' organization in Europe. Founded in 1995, the ESU represents the voice of older citizens and is advocating for senior-related issues within the Christian Democracy in the European Parliament represented by the European People's Party (EPP).

Background
The ESU was established in response to a growing need for political representation of older generations in Europe. In the 1990s, there were organized movements advocating for the interests of older citizens in Europe, but they often lacked political influence and recognition. Some Christian democratic seniors' organizations felt that their concerns were not adequately addressed within their respective political parties and that society remained overly focused on youth-oriented issues. Efforts to create a European seniors' union gained momentum, and on November 7, 1995, the ESU was officially founded in Madrid, Spain, during the European People's Party Congress. Stefan Knafl, who led the working group for the ESU's foundation, became its first president. The ESU gained recognition from the EPP as an officially recognized association, allowing it to participate in EPP meetings and decisions..

Furthermore, a study on "Turnout, Voting Intentions and Representation" conducted in 2014 by the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, in collaboration wih the ESU, shows that the European Union is facing core demographic challenges with the proportion of seniors in society is projected to rise from just over 18% of the population today to 28% by 2050.

Membership and representation
The ESU is one of the largest political seniors' organizations in Europe and is affiliated with the European People's Party (EPP). Membership is not only reserved for EU countries. Norway, an EFTA member, is also a full member of the ESU. Ukraine and Belarus are observators without voting rights. At the time of its foundation in 1995, 13 countries joined the organization. Now (2023) it is represented in 27 European countries through 34 member organisations. The only EU members that did not join are Denmark and Ireland.

Board members
The ESU is led by the President and the board (presidium). They are elected every five years by the Congress, which is composed of representatives from all member organizations. The Presidium consists of the President, 12 Vice-Presidents, the Secretary General and the Treasurer.

ESU meetings
The ESU holds regular gatherings and congresses to foster collaboration and address important issues within its network. These gatherings include regional congresses organized by partner associations and are complemented every five years by electoral congresses. Also since COVID-19 the ESU holds online meetings on a regular basis.



Advocacy
In addition to its ongoing efforts, the ESU has collaborated with its members to develop following resolutions in recent years, addressing significant issues affecting seniors:

Plea for more participation in European policy
In 2010, on the initiative of the CD&V Seniors, senior citizens from Flanders, Wallonia and a delegation from the European Seniors' Union focused on future developments in the EU. Both scientific research on the life situation of the elderly, the interpretation of ageing in European policy and the active participation of the elderly in European societies were discussed.

COVID-period resolution
Titled "Europe's Recovery; Building the future of fair and resilient societies – including all generations" the ESU called upon the EU to implement the valuable lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution urges the EU to assume an effective and prominent role in leading the Common Strategy, tackling challenges in various domains, and instilling confidence in citizens that the EU, national, and regional governments, along with stakeholders at all levels, are working cohesively. Recognizing the importance of addressing demographic changes, this resolution emphasizes building a fairer and more resilient society.

ESU statement on digital inclusion
In alignment with this statement, the Council of Europe (Department of Media and Information) engaged ESU President An Hermans to prepare a comprehensive report dealing with age-related challenges in digitalization and exploring solutions to pressing concerns.

The report, titled "The digital era? Also my era! – Media and information literacy: a key to ensure seniors' rights to participate in the digital era" is available in multiple languages on the Council of Europe's website. The ESU firmly advocates for the inclusion of older persons in today's information society.

After the rise of Artificial intelligence, concern is expressed about the large group of elderly people who are confronted with this. How do they learn to deal with this new development and how AI can help seniors in the challenges that they face in their everyday life.?

Care strategy resolution
During discussions, ESU delegates highlighted the instrumental role played by the European People's Party (EPP) in contributing to the development of the EU's Care Strategy. The resolution, titled "The New European Care Strategy: towards affordable quality care for all people who need it," emphasizes the importance of providing accessible and high-quality care to all who require it.

Umbrella organization
Not only the ESU is working for the rights of the elderly in society. Other political families in the European Parliament also see the need to defend the interests of their elderly members. That's why the ESU in turn is a member of the Age-platform EU which, with similar objectives to the ESU, defends those interests.

Within the European Parliament are elderly associations of other political views. On the socialist side, it's the Europen Seniors Organization (ESO) (website under construction). The green seniors are united in the Green Seniors in the European Union