The plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions will include in the opinion on territorial inequalities several proposals from Castilla y León related to the promotion of the autonomy of dependent people, to EU investment in technologies applied to care or to a social system that covers all territories on an equal footing.
The amendments presented by the Vice-President of the Council and Advisor for Family and Equal Opportunities, Isabel Blanco, will be included in the opinion “Reducing territorial inequalities through better access to social services”. Three of them are linked to the aging of the population, the promotion of equality between women and men and home care, have been integrated into other amendments that address broader content.
It is a text in full harmony with the model of care for the most vulnerable groups that the regional executive has implemented, which relies decisively on social innovation and digitalization of the system of care to, precisely, facilitate this access from all points of the territory, underlines the Council in a press release.
This opinion results from a consultation led by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and aims to develop comprehensive strategies to promote equal access to social services, in particular for the most vulnerable groups and residents of rural areas. In this sense and taking into account the territorial characteristics of the Community, it is directly linked to the care model of Castilla y León.
Content of the amendments
Thus, one of the amendments presented by Isabel Blanco concerns the promotion of home care for the elderly, dependent or disabled people in rural areas. To achieve this, it is necessary to invest in innovation to allow these users, if they wish, to continue to reside in their own homes and, as far as possible, integrated into their environment. This approach not only contributes to improving the quality of life of these people, but also to boosting the economy around the healthcare sector in small towns and cross-border areas.
In addition, Dignity and improvement in the working conditions of social professionals were proposed. In fact, there are serious difficulties in finding workers in the sector in rural areas and one of the ways to increase demand is to apply specific measures in this direction.
Another of the amendments reflects the firm commitment of the Government of Castilla y León to social innovation, since it not only facilitates the lives of people with reduced mobility or in need of care, but also generates a network of high-performance businesses. added value and attracting talent. . It is for this reason that the Vice-President proposed that the European Union redouble its efforts in financing technological innovation for the development of products and assistance systems that make the homes of elderly people, dependent or disabled people more secure and, consequently, their autonomy. is encouraged.
In accordance with the Castilian and Leonese context characterized by a large territorial extent, a deep dispersion of the population and a progressive aging, extendable to many other regions of the Union, the Vice President requested in another of the proposals submitted to the European Committee regions of measures for these communities precisely because of the high cost of providing social and health care to all corners of the territory.
Isabel Blanco brought to Europe one of the maxims of the Government of Castilla y León, which constitutes the fundamental channel for the social integration of the most vulnerable groups: employment. In this sense, the implementation of measures facilitating access to the labor market for people at risk of exclusion is a key tool to facilitate economic autonomy and end the chronic nature of poverty.
Concerning the promotion of equality between women and men, the Minister of Family and Equal Opportunities also presented amendments not only for the professional integration of women, but also to improve their representation in the sectors with a strong male presence, promote co-responsibility in childcare or put an end to the digital divide, which primarily affects older women.
