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**Comparative overview - Strand 1: France, Germany and Belgium** *In France, the average cost of a stay in a retirement home is 2,892 euros per month when the average monthly amount of retirement is 1,040 euros. * ***Dependence on older people is therefore a major challenge for social protection systems. It raises multiple demographic, economic and social problems for all European countries.*** Each year, 21 billion euros are earmarked for the financing of policies to support the autonomy of the elderly and disabled by the Caisse Nationale de Solidarité pour l'Autonomie. To this amount, are added the various financings of the State, the social security and the general councils. This puts France in third place in Europe after the Netherlands and Sweden, in terms of public expenditure related to compensation for the loss of autonomy. How is this sector doing in our European neighbours? How are they coping with an ageing population? What are the care systems for dependent persons? **To answer these questions, Retraite Plus, a free advisory and guidance body in Ehpad, opens the first part of its study with a comparative overview of the retirement home sector in three European countries: France, Germany and Belgium. ** 1/ Demographic situation: There is no denying that Europe is ageing. Belgium has the oldest population with 22.39% of its inhabitants over the age of 65. Germany follows with 21% of people aged over 65. While in France, 18% of the population is over 65 years old. 2/ The economic situation: In Europe, there are currently fewer contributors and more pensioners. Pension amounts differ from country to country. At the same time, the minimum contribution periods also vary: For France: - the minimum contribution period is 41.25 annuities - the average pension is 1040 euros - the average monthly cost of a stay in Ehpad is 2892 euros For Belgium: - the minimum contribution period is 35 years - the average pension amount is 1250 euros - the average monthly cost of a stay in Ehpad is 1250 euros For Germany: - the minimum contribution period is 35 years - the average pension amount is 1200 euros - the average monthly cost of a stay in Ehpad is 3000 euros 3/ The state of play of the accommodation: French retirement homes are saturated: they have an average occupancy rate of 96%. In Germany, establishment is effective when the person becomes very dependent, and thus receives state aid. Without the latter, the costs are so high that many Germans prefer to turn to establishments in Eastern countries, which are much more affordable. Belgium, for its part, suffers cruelly from the lack of places in institutions, with a capacity of about 130,000 beds, which leads to an average waiting time of 7 months, all sectors combined. However, probably thanks to a regulation of tariffs and the state subsidization of nursing homes, Belgium seems to be the only one to manage the financing of dependency with accommodation costs much lower than those practiced in its European neighbors. **France has to face the challenges of an ageing population, but it is not the only one... A large part of Europe is affected and will have to face these challenges!** Indeed, the absolute increase in the population of the elderly and especially the very elderly in the various European countries studied is sufficient in itself to make autonomy and care, an inescapable and above all urgent issue. *Will it be necessary to find alternative solutions such as the Netherlands, which call on the population and volunteers to look for ways to save money? Do countries adopting a capitalist pension system face the same difficulties? *

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