AS I said in the bulletin of Euromeeting/98, the European Association could turn into a massive process, which would be the World-wide Union of Retired Employees and Pensioners of Savings Banks.

The Euromeeting/99, which took place in Benidorm (Alicante), showed that this dream could come true and that with a wider vision we could achieve the World Meeting which I mentioned before.

To dream is easy, but to accomplish is more difficult!

Reading the Declaration of Alicante, approved at the International Conference 'A Society for All Ages', I believe that its content, put into practice, would eliminate distortions. It would make clear that pensioners of the Savings Banks should have equal rights in all the Community, so we can all feel we are Europeans. I think it is a bit difficult to achieve this Utopia, but if we all make a small effort, we might obtain this goal.

For many of those who decide, we, who have white hairs, are called 'old people' and other names that almost offend me. The names: 'people' or 'gentlemen of age' do not offend me in any way, but when we are called old people or elderly, I get the creeps. I usually say that there are the young and the less young, putting ourselves in this last group. Youth is not measured by years, but by the full activity and operative capacity of the people.

The Portuguese, mostly those of more age, are very sentimental and even our national song, the Fado, is more felt by us than by the young, for which it is considered old fashioned. But the Fado affects us so because, normally, it reminds us of the past, of the time of youth and, for this reason, for us the Fado will never be old, like we do not want to be! A Portuguese adagio synthesises all I have written before 'velhos são os trapos' (old are the rags)!

To end I declare that the Portuguese Association is united with the European Association in the 'fight' at a European level, to defend our rights.

Onward Then!

Antonio Sirgado Serra

President of the Board of Directors of ANAC ,Associaçao Nacional dos

Aposentados de Caixa Geral de Depositos.