Brussels, 22/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - There are no miracle solutions for making pension schemes affordable and Europeans must be prepared to work for a few years longer than they do today. The European Commission has already made this clear, and the European Parliament recently reached the same conclusion.
Adopting a non-binding resolution by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (EPP, the Netherlands), the European Parliament's employment and social affairs committee says that pension systems in the member states cannot survive in their current form and people will need to work for longer and take out private pensions.
The resolution is the EP's response to a European Commission Green Paper published in February 2012 (see EUROPE 10555). The two institutions recommend the same solutions and call on the member states to adjust their pension schemes now that people are living so long. Oomen-Ruijten said people must be encouraged to work for longer and take out private pensions. The resolution differs from the White Paper in that it criticises the Commission for not highlighting the crucial role of public pensions in fighting poverty. (JK/transl.fl)