AIM joint workshop at Social Economy Forum – Recording available
The event can be watched in the original version here.
AIM, in collaboration with AMICE, ICMIF, FNMF and AAM, organised a workshop on the topic of mutuals’ role in overcoming the challenges related to the green and digital transitions. The event took place in the framework of the Social Economy Forum, in Strasbourg.
The meeting was divided into two round tables. The first one covered he topic of climate change. Mutuals address the challenge both as insurers and as investors at international, European and national level). Many have been early adopters of sustainable activities to respond to the challenges of climate change in Europe, engaging with wider society on a raft of initiatives to assist in tacking the climate change challenge. With the green challenge centre stage in Europe, insurance mutuals are subject to extensive legislative change to meet the needs of European society. The panel allowed to present the European dimension and the legislative on climate change, the importance of risk prevention and the key involvement of youth.
The second panel covered mutuals’ take on the demographic challenge. Together with climate change, the demographic transition is one of the biggest challenges that our social protection systems will have to face in the coming years. The EU is ‘turning increasingly grey’ in the coming decades, which of course threatens the sustainability of our social protection systems. The ageing of the European population and migration flows will have an impact on demand for care, for healthcare services, for pensions, but also on other aspects such as the availability of the workforce, both formal and informal.
The panel showcased some concrete best practice examples of the key role mutuals can play and are playing in overcoming the challenges relating to demographic change and in adapting to a changing demographic landscape. The intergenerational housing project Vivagora and its positive impact on social cohesion, intergenerational solidarity and inequities was presented by Agnès Chapelle (Mutualités Chrétiennes, Belgium); Erich Koch (SVLFG, Germany) spoke about the role of mutuals in supporting informal carers, the backbone of EU care systems); and Pedro Bleck da Silva (Montepio, Portugal) highlighted their role in ensuring the sustainability and accessibility of pensions.