Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-02-15-Speech-2-509-000"
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"en.20110215.28.2-509-000"2
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"Madam President, the Green Paper on pensions which we published last summer started a much needed debate on the future of pensions in Europe. It resulted in more than 100 meetings and conferences with stakeholders and we received almost 1 700 responses.
The Green Paper outlines the key challenges facing the Union in this area, and asked fourteen questions about how work at EU level could help the Member States in ensuring that pensions are adequate, sustainable and safe, while fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity. The Green Paper takes a holistic approach, because my fellow Commissioners, Rehn and Barnier, and I are convinced that adequate, sustainable and safe pensions call for coordinated, joined-up policies spanning our three areas of responsibility.
Let me briefly restate the Commission’s reasoning for publishing the Green Paper last year. First, we need to overcome the imbalances resulting from the increasing divergence between life expectancy and retirement ages. Second, we need to adjust the European framework to reflect the changes that have come about in national pension systems after a decade of pension reforms. Third, we must draw lessons from the financial and economic crisis. The crisis has highlighted the need to review financial market exposure and the design of our pension systems in order to improve risk mitigation and enhance the funded pension’s capacity for shock absorption. Fourth, we need to fully prepare our pension systems for the acceleration of population ageing.
The Member States have already engaged in long-standing cooperation to learn from each other’s experiences and exchange good practice in pension reform. There is a consensus on the need for coordination at EU level and for establishing EU rules on cross-border issues. For the last 10 years, coordination at EU level has underpinned Member States’ efforts to modernise the pension systems, and many Member States have already made good progress in adapting the pension systems to reflect demographic ageing, changes in the labour markets and evolving gender roles. However, most Member States have a long way to go and a few others have not even begun with pension reforms.
I was pleased to read the report, on which I congratulate the rapporteur, which is highly supportive of the holistic approach we have chosen. In several places, it highlights the links between adequacy, sustainability and safety. It also clearly identifies policy areas where the EU can add value. The Commission is currently in the final stages of analysing the results of the consultation, including the final opinion of the European Parliament. Given the urgency of the situation, the Commission has already started the preparations for the White Paper to be presented in the third quarter of 2011.
Let me conclude by saying that one of the great successes of Europe’s social model is to ensure that old age is not synonymous with poverty. This is a promise on which we have to continue to deliver and help Member States to take the right decisions to ensure that pension systems are fit for purpose. The last 12 months have seen a lively debate in the field of pension reforms and this year promises to be equally intense. I very much count on Parliament’s support to bring about a real change to create both adequate and sustainable pensions for the future."@en1
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