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TRAMP – Transnational Mobility of Older People in Europe
64 Part II
Definition of “Mobility”
Definition of Key Concepts
Mobility and the European Union
Mobility beyond national borders plays a significant role with regard to the
creation of a unified Europe. The European Union’s interest in “mobility” is
based on three fundamental freedoms: freedom of mobility of people, goods
and services.
Mobility of people is understood, for instance, as efforts to create jobs and,
in particular, as a flexibility factor and employment opportunities of European
employees across Europe. 1 Another definition applies within the scope of the
“Lifelong Learning” programme promoted by the EU Commission, which
aims at enabling all citizens of the Union to move freely within Europe. 2
By means of specific action plans, European programmes such as “Lifelong
Learning“, “Youth“ and pilot programmes supporting the mobility of entrepreneurs
and artists promote the mobility of European citizens in the context
of lifelong learning, voluntary commitment and corporate innovation transfer.
Elderly EU-citizens also profit from these programmes, either as learners
in internships abroad, as committed participants in exchange projects or as
“young” company founders.
European years, such as the “European Year of the Elderly and of Solidarity
between Generations” in 1994, offered special exchange opportunities for the
elderly in Europe. New lines of actions such as the “SeniorVolunteerProjects“ 3
specifically promote the mobility of the elderly and the “European Year for
Active Ageing and Intergenerational Solidarity” in 2012 will probably boost
this form of mobility.
Within the scope of the ENEA pilot programme, several measures and
projects of the EU have already been launched, which aim at promoting the
mobility of elderly people, particularly the disadvantaged. Within these projects
the term mobility is understood differently and defined according to
project conditions. For instance, the project “Mobility 55: Mobility in Euro-
1 European Commision DG Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, http://
ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=540&langId=en
2 European Commission DG Education and Training, http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc58_en.htm;
AGE, The importance of lifelong learning for people
of all ages http://www.age-platform.org/EN/IMG/AGE_leaflet_lifelong_learning.pdf
3 European Commission DG Education and Training, http://ec.europa.eu/education/
grundtvig/doc986_en.htm