Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-13-Speech-4-280"
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".
I spoke yesterday on the Kuckelhorn report as draftsperson of the opinion of the Committee on Women’s Rights.
for the purpose of calculating pensions, certain periods devoted to the upbringing of children or care of family members ought to be taken into account;
it is desirable to provide for the possibility of continued voluntary or optional insurance to preserve and improve pension rights and guarantee a right to payment of the capital under certain conditions.
We should obviously take advantage of this opportunity to ask the Member States to implement more consistently the principle of equal pay for equal work, because wage discrimination against women has repercussions on women’s pension levels. Any legal or contractual provisions infringing the principle of equality of treatment of men and women should be invalid.
Finally, I want to reiterate my long-standing demand – disregarded by the Commission for many years – for revision of the existing directives on equality of treatment of women and men in terms of social security, in the same way as it applies in legal and professional systems. And let us not forget assisting spouses, those millions of invisible workers, the large majority women, on whose behalf this Parliament has demanded an upgrading of the half-hearted 1986 directive to give assisting spouses proper status and compulsory membership of social security schemes, especially pension schemes.
On 28 March President Prodi and seven of his colleagues met with members of the Committee on Women’s Rights, the European Women’s Lobby and the Equal Opportunities Consultative Committee. I hope he and the committee responsible will now stop ignoring those demands of the European Parliament I have just mentioned.
The committee expressed an opinion on the outcome of the consultation on the Green Paper on supplementary pensions in the single market, just as it did on the Green Paper itself.
We believe this very broad consultation should rapidly conclude with a proposal for a framework directive to ensure the development of a genuine single market in supplementary pension funds, under the second and third pillars. The first pillar, covering biometric risks, must still continue to be the cornerstone of social protection in the European Union.
The targeted directive we are seeking for the second pillar of supplementary pensions should, in particular, define the context for eliminating obstacles to free choice of pension fund, free movement of persons, free provision of services and double taxation.
As regards taxation, the only acceptable solution is one based on the principle that contributions should be tax deductible, at least up to a certain ceiling, and that supplementary pensions paid out should be taxable in accordance with the income tax legislation applying in the countries of residence.
As regards the controversial question of whether supplementary pension systems should cover biometric risks, I want to point out that, from the fiscal point of view, pension funds which do not cover these risks cannot be discriminated against as compared with those which do cover them, it being understood that the need to cover these risks depends on the extent of the first pillar in the various countries. Subsidiarity and free choice require this.
Prudential rules must not be disproportionate to ensuring that the funds are secure. They must be differentiated according to whether a scheme is internal or external to the enterprise. They must allow managers to determine the best investment strategy.
In the absence of agreement on certain essential points, I am unable to vote for the general framework. I regret this all the more as almost all the relevant conclusions from the Committee on Women’s Rights and my recommendations are included in the motion for a resolution, in particular those considering that
as regards supplementary pensions too, the preservation of acquired rights is essential when a spouse interrupts or abandons his or her work in order to devote himself or herself to his or her family or look after close relatives who are in need of assistance;"@en1
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