13 October, 2022

Blandine Camus, Policy & Communication Officer with our project partner  Euromontana, presented the Silver SMEs project at this year’s European Week of Regions and Cities. 

 

Blandine presented the project’s key messages during a 15-minute session. No mean feat! The presentation was titled ‘The Rural Silver Economy - the Way Forward’. 

 

 

The current number of people over the age of 65 stands at 19% in Western Slovenia; 20% in Hauts de France; 21% in Teruel, Spain and 23% in the entire Province of Burgos, Spain, with this figure rising to 27% when considering rural areas alone. It is estimated that, by 2060, one in three Europeans will be over 65.

The Silver Economy can be defined as the economic opportunities arising from expenditure related to population ageing and the specific needs of those over 50. Due to the ageing economy, there are pressing demographic reasons to develop more sustainable means of supporting independent living in older people.

 

 

Rural and mountainous areas are particularly affected by demographic change and ageing. And yet, these regions face a lack of goods and services targeting the needs of the older population. This presents a series of new opportunities for SME’s to engage in innovation directed at this sector.

 

 

By supporting the development of new SMEs in the Silver Economy, an intrinsic objective of the Silver SMEs project is to generate services and goods that will contribute to improve the quality of life within an ageing society, in particular in rural or remote EU areas.

 

 

The Silver SMEs project:

• can provide examples of concrete measures adopted in regions to support the development of the Silver Economy in rural areas;
• has published Best Practices, each of which are of benefit to one of the project's 3 target groups - active, dependent and vulnerable and
• has developed regional Action Plans that adopt a place-based approach to further develop the Silver Economy and enhance territorial cohesion in rural and mountainous areas.

 

 

Blandine finished her presentation with a timely reminder that the Silver SMEs Final Conference is scheduled to take place in Brussels on 21 February 2023. 

 

To learn more about the Silver SMEs project, please click here.

 

http://www.interregeurope.eu/silversmes/

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The European Week of Regions and Cities is the biggest annual Brussels-based event dedicated to cohesion policy. It has grown to become a unique communication and networking platform, bringing together regions and cities from all over Europe. Now in it’s 20th year, the four themes for 2022 were Green Transition, Territorial Cohesion, Digital Transition and Youth Empowerment.