A report by the Public Health Committee on active ageing has been formally presented to MEPs.

Opening the debate on 4 February 2013, the report's author, Dutch socialist MEP Kartika Liotard, said that an ageing population was one of the biggest challenges facing the EU.

The number of Europeans aged 65 and over is expected to double over the next 50 years from 87 million to 148 million.

Although healthcare is a national issue, the European Commission has proposed a number of measures to try help national government deal with an ageing population.

These include standardised data, clinical information and terminologies to help countries share information and best practice.

The report will be voted on during the daily voting session from 10.30am on 6 February 2013.

Useful links.

Read Democracy Live's guide to how the plenary sessions work here.

The European Parliament's disclaimer on the use of simultaneous interpretations can be found here.