DC NOISE aimed at dealing with demographic change related issues, namely labour market, service provision and housing issues, by developing transferable action strategies in the North Sea Region.

The project activities included the creation of a transnational housing atlas which contributed to the implementation of transferable and innovative housing approaches and a regional level statistical monitoring system including demographic data and indicators, as well as themes such as ‘DC and the impact on the labour market for higher educated', the introduction of a ‘housing ambassador' approach and researching and communicating ‘day to day Information & Communication Technology for people with a mobility handicap'.

All activities contributed to finding mechanisms to reduce job, service and population loss and to promoting attractive regions supported by concrete measures to raise the awareness of demographic change in the North Sea Region.

Aim
The central aim of the project was to make the North Sea Region ready to cope with its demographic future. That meat both dealing with the negative effects of demographic change and at the same time taking advantage of the economic and social opportunities offered by this process.

Within DC NOISE transnational actions aimed to:

• Develop and implement pilot actions tackling issues related to new approaches to service delivery
• Develop actions revitalising declining towns and cities in response to demographic trends
• Develop and implement pilot actions tackling opportunities and challenges for economic restructuring, particularly in the fields of health, care and leisure/tourism or social and labour market stabilisation.

Activities and objectives were aimed at raising awareness, finding possible solutions and, in co-operation with stakeholders, strategies and actions to deal with the consequences of demographic change.

Background
Demographic change is now recognised as one of the three most significant challenges facing Europe and its regions. The urgency of the situation is highlighted in the Green Paper on Demographic Change (2005) which forecasts an increase in the number of people aged 65+ of more than 50% by 2030 with a reduction in natural population growth across nearly all EU regions.

Demographic change is a particular issue in the North Sea Region, and the implications of this are already becoming apparent. Demographic change consists of different trends: total population decline, diminishing number of young people, shrinking labour force, ageing society, changing ethnic composition of population owing to differential migration, changing household composition.

Facing the demographic challenge through means such as increasing employment rates, integrating legal migrants and shaping infrastructures and services in response to ageing are now widely stated, but have yet to be consistently put into practice.

Together, the partners of DC NOISE faced the challenge and seeked to develop new approaches in practice and to share the lessons they learned throughout the North Sea Region. The actions undertaken would impact employment opportunities in the region, the competitiveness of the region and social wellbeing, cohesion and quality of life for individual residents. Together, they supported the development of sustainable and competitive communities.

Transnational cooperation would be the start of mutual European adjustment in policy answers to demographic change. It helped to bring the subject on the agenda of national and regional authorities and gave financial support, thereby creating the necessary conditions for experiment, finding creative solutions and new strategies, and be ready for the future.

• Transnational housing atlas, new housing concepts for elderly
• Monitoring system on demographic change (DC). Regional level statistical monitoring system including demographic data and indicators
• Improved infrastructure for elderly, ICT solutions for service provision for handling and analysing data in relation to monitoring the consequences of demographic change
• An integrated monitoring system on demographic change
• Analysis of the consequences of demographic change. A transnational scenario-logbook
• New strategies to cope with demographic change, such as integration methods for elderly (50+), higher integration- and employment rates, re-education and recruitment of economically vulnerable employees, including youngsters and immigrants
• Strategic document with best practices and advice to influence EU labour market policies.