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Belgian Presidency Conference on Pensions: Keep in Mind the Impact of Pension on Atypical and Very Old Pensions
AGE Platform Europe
September 7, 2010
Brussels
"Policy makers need to understand better the impact that the reforms they are introducing will have on the most vulnerable, the growing majority of atypical workers and very old pensioners", said Anne-Sophie Parent, Director of AGE, at the Belgian Presidency Conference taking place in Liège.
Policy makers need better tools to assess the impact of planned reforms on different population groups. For the moment policies are developed on the basis of broad unreliable projections that do not take on board the real life situation of millions of workers.
The EU has an important role to play to help Member States ensure more sustainable pensions systems both from a financial and a social perspective. The EU 2020 Strategy should be used to help Member States design employment policies that support active ageing and to address the barriers that prevent workers mobility such as the lack of portability of complementary pensions rights. The EU can also help by developing tools that will help Member States assess and monitor the impact of the reforms they introduce on older people, such as an "older person's basket" that would make it possible to assess the evolution of the purchasing power of older people over time.
"Reforms are needed, but they must be fair and socially sustainable. We hope that the European Year 2012 on Active Ageing that the Commission is proposing will help all stakeholders develop lasting and fair solutions ", concluded Anne-Sophie Parent.
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