By Martin Banks - 17th November 2009
It does not appear on the bottom line
Marian Harkin
The EU has been urged to help haul the work that is done by carers from the "margins" of society.
A conference jointly hosted by the Parliament Magazine on Tuesday was told there are up to 100 million carers in Europe.
However, the event, held in parliament, heard that the unpaid work they do often goes unrecognised and carers increasingly find it difficult to cope.
Irish MEP Marian Harkin, one of the keynote speakers, said, "The vast majority of people who provide care do so because they want to.
"But for the majority, there is no choice. And because what they do is unpaid and is not quoted on the stock exchange or does not feature in the balance of pay, policymakers do not factor it in.
"It does not appear on the bottom line."
She added that caring was "everyone's business", saying, "I am not saying care is totally neglected or that it is not part of the equation but it is not central.
"When we look at some of the challenges facing society we think of the financial crisis and climate change.
"Governments and the EU are so busy responding to the current crisis that they do not plan sufficiently.
"They do not put the structures and systems in place to ensure that an increasingly ageing EU population will need more care and we must plan, prioritise and pay for this care."
Georg Fischer, head of unit at the commission's social protection division, said that the EU "does understand the issue" and gives it a higher priority than in the past.
But he said it was hard to reconcile the "enormously high expectations" placed on carers with the relatively low recognition they currently enjoy.
Madeleine Starr, of Carers UK, said, "This is becoming a significant issue and it is time to lift the work carers do out of the silo of social care."
