mr president i welcome all three reports but i shall first speak on guardianship
the protection of the most vulnerable citizens is an issue which i care very much about
we know the population of europe is getting older life expectancy has increased to eighty years of age today and by twenty fifty thirty-seven of the population will be over sixty years of age
populations are also more mobile
last year in my own country four hundred zero people emigrated to retire aboard so it is important to make sure that they receive the same protection as they would at home
the challenges for european society posed by such demographic changes are many such as we have already heard on health and social care
i believe it is crucial to enable the older generation to live an independent life and a dignified life
i was rapporteur last year on a report to ensure that older citizens can stay healthier and live longer and independently
the report we are debating today fits particularly well i believe with the proposals to ensure that they can continue to look after their own property and manage their everyday life wherever they live free from exploitation and abuse
but i am also concerned about the hague convention
i welcome the minister's action on this but we should not just make sure that the existing legislation is ratified we should make sure that it is effective
i want to say a couple of things on the authentic act
i welcome the initiatives to cut down administrative burdens for our citizens but i too am concerned that this report does not take into account the different legal traditions that exist within the community including different legal instruments such as the english deed or different forms of notarial professions as exist in england
i believe the report as it stands risks undermining the national law of certain member states particularly mine in terms of administration of estates
i believe that ignoring such differences would go against the principle of mutual recognition and the aim of achieving equal access to justice for all citizens
for these reasons i and my delegation are supporting the amendments by mrs wallis
i very much welcome mrs wallis's report on e-justice
i think some of the issues we are raising in the other reports are interlinked so it means that wherever people are in the european union they will have equal access to justice
