COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS AND THE SILVER ECONOMY: THE EXPERIENCE OF EU COUNTRIES

The article examines the problems of socio-economic development of territorial communities in the context of demographic aging and substantiates the role of the silver economy as one of the key tools for adapting communities to modern demographic challenges.The relevance of the study is due to the steady growth of the share of the elderly population in the countries of the European Union, which significantly affects the functioning of local labor markets, the social protection system, healthcare, and the financial capacity of communities.The paper reveals the essence and content of the concept of "silver economy" as a complex system of economic, social and institutional relations that are formed around the needs, opportunities and active participation of older people in public life.It is substantiated that the silver economy goes beyond traditional social policy and covers the areas of employment, entrepreneurship, innovative technologies, lifelong learning, housing and transport infrastructure, as well as social entrepreneurship.The experience of the European Union countries in implementing active aging policies and integrating elements of the silver economy into the development strategy of territorial communities is analyzed.The features of the models used in France, Germany, Spain and the Scandinavian countries are identified, and their impact on increasing the economic activity of the elderly population, the development of local service markets and strengthening social cohesion is outlined.