Vigenin: European countries owe care and support to older people

“Older people are not a social burden. They are the people who worked, paid taxes, raised families and built the countries we live in today.” This was said by Kristian Vigenin, Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, during the debate in Strasbourg on drafting a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons.

He noted that in Bulgaria, as in the other member states, many of them are left alone: “Without a doctor nearby, without transport, without enough money for medicines and heating. At the same time, we are closing bank branches and moving administrative services online, making older people feel excluded.”

A UN convention with concrete rights for older people

The MEP expressed his support for drafting a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons, but stressed that it should not be yet another document full of good intentions. “It must guarantee concrete rights: access to healthcare and care, protection from violence, fraud and discrimination, and the right to independent living and inclusion in society,” he said, outlining his main expectations.

Vigenin called on the European Union and the member states to take an active part in the future process of drafting such a convention and to ensure that clear obligations for states are fulfilled.

“Dear older people, you do not need pity. You simply want security, respect and a state that does not step back when you yourselves need support. The way we treat you shows clearly whether our society is driven by selfishness or by human solidarity,” Vigenin said at the end of his speech, expressing his commitment to the issue.