“The current rate of ageing in the European Union is economically unsustainable. This is the main policy message from the LEPAS collaborative project (Long-run Economic Perspectives on an Ageing Society), carried out throughout the last three years by researchers from Spain, Denmark, Germany and Austria. This EU-funded research has tackled the urgent need to better understand how an ageing population is likely to influence the economy and whether or not those changes will be sustainable. Europe’s population is ageing at an unprecedented rate, faster than any other continent, and is economically unsustainable. Life expectancy is increasing but the retirement age is not, meaning that people are spending longer time in retirement, putting greater pressure on pension systems. An ageing population, where ageing is understood as the gradual deterioration of physical and mental health and abilities, is also likely to put greater pressure on national health services.” [for more data and reports, see Long-Run Economic Perspectives of an Ageing Society/LEPAS]