The Missing Development Link of Ageing: Why Age-Friendly Policies Matter for Greece

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Published: Dec 31, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/hapscpbs.45374
Keywords:
Age-friendly cities Ageing Development Greece Demographic decline
Ioakeim Vravas
MSc Ageing and Social Change, University of Linköping, Sweden; Master’s in Evaluation and Management of Social Policies, University of Grenoble- Alpes, France.
Abstract

Europe is experiencing a rapid demographic transition by population ageing and low fertility. Political discourse and research have widely framed ageing and a fiscal and welfare challenge, focusing on pensions, healthcare costs and labour supply. While these concerns are legitimate, this problem-oriented framing limits the capacity of policy to address ageing as a structural condition shaping territorial development, particularly in municipalities and regions experiencing demographic decline. This policy brief argues that the absence of a development-oriented narrative and evidence of ageing constitutes a strategic blind spot in Greek policy making. Drawing on European policy evolution, emerging research on the longevity economy and age-friendly policies, and early evidence from the first Greek municipality participating in the WHO Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, the brief explores if age-friendly policies can contribute to a city’s development. The case of Alexandroupolis suggests that age-friendly measures are already perceived by residents and local stakeholders as benefiting not only older adults but the wider community. This signals a gap between the perceived local reality and policy frameworks, with the local community understanding ageing as a development issue, rather than solely a welfare concern. The brief proposes policy directions for integrating ageing policies in the respective local, regional and national development strategies in Greece and to as separate issue of concern.

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