Brussels, 11/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - During a seminar in Brussels organised by the Council on the ageing labour force (EUROPE 9497), Commissioner for Social Policy Vladimir Spidla launched an appeal to: 1) member states to take measures encouraging employers to maintain and/or take on people aged 55 or over (for example, by providing them with incentives of complementary pensions) and restructuring their social systems to make them more viable in the long term; 2) businesses to create a more attractive environment for those aged over 55 and for them not to ignore (which is currently the case) their experience; 3) workers to become aware of their individual responsibility to adapt to changes affecting their employability skills on the labour market. The commissioner also drew attention to the fact that active ageing should be prepared at the beginning of one's working life and even at school. A global active ageing strategy should focus on the entirety of one's working life and include all age bands, not just those aged 55 or over. (gb)