ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at extrapolating concrete evidence of the general trends already mentioned in the introduction and illustrated by a wealth of information and data for each national profile. This was done by analysing the 12 national profiles drawn up during the first two-year activity of the thematic group ‘Ageing and Work’ of the COST A13 European network. European attention on the search for occupational strategies to cope with the ageing of the workforce was reiterated by the European Council of Lisbon. The work situation and the poor participation of women and older workers in the labour market were mentioned as weak points of the Union. In spite of the occasional announcement to reduce retirement age by one or other European country, the issue of lengthening working life is one of the themes underpinning all the reforms of the European social security systems, with various attempts at raising retirement age.
