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The SMART AGE project team spent a week in Brussels connecting with European stakeholders and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to promote the project and highlight the importance of media literacy for older people.
Two representatives from each of the three project partners – Bildungshaus Retzhof (Austria), POU Čakovec (Croatia) and Ljudska univerza Ormož (Slovenia) – took part in the visit, meeting organisations in adult education and media literacy to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for future cooperation.
Connecting with European representatives
An important focus of the visit was meeting MEPs from Austria, Slovenia and Croatia to discuss the project’s relevance and the need to strengthen seniors’ media literacy, particularly among those living in rural areas.
The team met with MEP Lukas Mandl (Austria), who took the time to learn about the project’s objectives and its focus on older people in rural communities. The discussion explored ways to promote SMART AGE further and raise awareness of the importance of up-to-date media literacy education for seniors.
Separate meetings also took place with MEP Milan Zver’s office (Slovenia) and MEP Gordan Bosanac (Croatia), providing further opportunities to present the project and discuss the challenges older people face in today’s digital environment. The SMART AGE team also got a chance to meet with the president of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, to whom they also disseminated the project.
The meeting of the Slovenian team provided an opportunity to present the SMART AGE project and discuss its importance in supporting older adults as they navigate today’s increasingly complex digital and media landscape, especially those living in rural areas.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of European cooperation in developing high-quality and accessible learning opportunities for older adults. The meeting was especially valuable given Dr Zver’s long-standing involvement in European education policies and the Erasmus+ programme through his work on the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).
The Croatian team met with MEP Gordan Bosanac, one of the most active voices in the European Parliament on issues affecting older people. Mr. Bosanac is behind the initiative for a universal EU pensioners card, which would give pensioners discounts and easier travel across Europe, and he has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that Croatian pensioners are among the poorest in the EU. The conversation turned quickly to a problem both sides see every day: older people are among the most frequent targets of online fraud, from fake bank messages and investment schemes to health disinformation and scam calls. For someone living on a small pension, one successful scam can mean losing months of income. Mr. Bosanac agreed that protecting seniors’ rights must go hand in hand with education that helps them spot manipulation and feel safe online, which is exactly the gap SMART AGE aims to close in rural communities.
Through European cooperation, SMART AGE works towards a more inclusive digital society in which older people, regardless of where they live, can access reliable information and participate confidently in public life.
