Tech Innovation Only Makes Sense If It Leaves No One Behind

The President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands and of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE), Astrid Pérez, took part on Friday in the working group on “Health Inequalities in European Social and Healthcare Systems” held at Palazzo Lombardia in Milan, Italy. She presented the European regions’ perspective on the challenges posed by an aging population and the role of technological innovation in improving care.

“Our commitment as regions must be clear: put innovation at the service of human dignity. Europe’s challenge is to scale technologies without losing social sensitivity,” Pérez told representatives of various European legislative assemblies.

The session, chaired by Federico Romani, President of the Lombardy Regional Council, and moderated by Carlo Borghetti, coordinator of the CALRE working group, focused on services and new technologies aimed at people aged 65 and over—a growing segment that, according to Eurostat, will increase by 16 million over the next decade.

Pérez highlighted the work underway in the Canary Islands, which participates in socio‑health innovation programmes such as ACTAge. These initiatives aim to transform traditional care models into integrated systems that combine physical, mental, and social health.

“Technological innovation only makes sense if it leaves no one behind,” she asserted.

Concluding her remarks, Astrid Pérez called for a shared commitment among European regions:

“Regions are on the front line of designing policies that blend innovation with proximity. Technology cannot replace the tenderness and humanity of care.”

The Milan meeting is part of CALRE’s broader effort to promote cooperation among European regional parliaments in the fields of health, social cohesion, and innovation.