Brussels, 22/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - By adopting the own initiative report of Jan Andersson (PES, Sweden) on the joint Commission Council report on viable and adequate pensions, the EP employment and social affairs committee is awaiting the response of Member States to clearly indicate to their citizens what they can expect from their pensions systems and what they will have to do to obtain a reasonable quality of life later on.
The parliamentary committee underlines the need for a good balance between financial and social considerations by clearly underlining the contribution pension systems bring to solidarity between the generations and within each generation. An EP press statement highlights that the committee considers that the best way of guaranteeing the viability of pensions is full employment with quality jobs. MEPs are still requesting that the effective age of retirement is worked out according to incentives and not dissuasive measures such as the draconian reduction calculating pensions. They consider that legal and adequate pensions are needed as well as more flexibility with regard to the age of retirement and the transitions from active life to retirement. They indicated that modernisation of pensions system should take into account societal requirements, such as the increase in the number of a-typical workers, employees who are not office bound and those on different kinds of contracts who are not in general covered by pension systems. MEPs are aiming to achieve this through implementing procedures that better protect these workers. They are also demanding Member States to get rid of all discrimination based on gender from their pensions systems and which are in violation of directives in force on equal treatment of men and women in relation to social security.
The Andesson report will be examined by the plenary on Tuesday 23 September in Strasbourg.