The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions published a report on household composition and wellbeing in December, highlighting concerns on poverty risk. The foundation, known as Eurofound for short, exclusively focuses on promoting better living conditions. The report in December revealed the heightened risk of financial difficulty for single-person households:
"Single-person households are at greater risk of poverty and social exclusion; single people of middle and older age, especially, have worse health and subjective well-being than those living with partners. Older people living alone have better well-being than their younger counterparts."
Luxembourg among EU countries with lowest risk of poverty in retirement, gender differenceThe report's main solution recommends inter generational living between older and younger people - who would otherwise be alone - in a larger residential building. Luxembourgish LSAP MEP Marc Angel reiterated the importance of this point, arguing that work must be done to get isolated people out of their lonely situations. To that end, he stressed the significance of initiatives on a local level.
As a member of the committee for employment and social affairs, Angel referred to old-age poverty as an acute issue in Eastern Europe, especially affecting older women. He stressed that the problem should not be able to develop in Luxembourg at any cost. Already, there is a gender pay gap in wages, which leads to a pension gap.
Finally, Angel added that the EU has more competencies in social policy than thought and expressed his optimism at the work of the new commission.
