7 Amendments of Ernest URTASUN related to 2014/0091(COD)
Amendment 27 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) Action is needed to further develop complementary private retirement savings such as occupational pensions. This is important since social-security systems are coming under increasing pressure, which means that citizens will increasingly rely on occupational retirement pensions as a complemensure that statutory social security schemes protect from old age poverty, making a special attention to the feminization of poverty, while occupational pension schemes can provide for a valuable addition. Calls on the Member States to develop an in-depth analysis on the consequences in terms of increasing gender inequality of many social-security and pension reforms undertakent in the futurelast years. Occupational retirement pensions should be developed, without, however, calling into question the importance of social-security pension systems in terms of secure, durable and effective social protection, which should guarantee a decent standard of living in old age, taking into account the necessities and ensuring the access of under- represented groups, in particular of women, and should therefore be at the centre of the objective of strengthening the European social model.
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 4 a (new)
Recital 4 a (new)
(4a) Action is needed to secure equal access to decent pension schemes for women, correcting the imbalances created by persistent inequalities between men and women in the labour market.
Amendment 31 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) Despite the entry into force of Directive 2003/41/EC important prudential barriers remain which make it more expensive for institutions to operate pension schemes across borders. Moreover, the current minimum level of protection for members and beneficiaries needs to be increasedThe current minimum level of protection for members and beneficiaries needs to be increased and must be determined taking into consideration the EU principles of non-discrimination and gender equality. This is all the more important as the number of Europeans relying on schemes that shift longevity and market risks from the institution or the undertaking offering the occupational scheme (‘sponsoring undertaking’) to the individual has increased significantly. In addition, the current minimum level of information provision to members and beneficiaries needs to be increased. Those developments warrant an amendment of the Directive.
Amendment 34 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 9 a (new)
Recital 9 a (new)
(9a) Taking into account that the gender pension gap in the EU is 39% on average, the Commission should not just rely on prudential rules but should encourage Member States to develop top up schemes, with monitory mechanisms to control its effects, to contribute to the second pillar pension as a way to close the gender pension gap and to guarantee the women's access to a decent pension.
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) Institutions for occupational retirement provision are financial service providerspension institutions that serve - first and foremost - a social purpose and which bear a heavy responsibility for the provision of occupational retirement benefits and therefore should meet certain minimum prudential standards with respect to their activities and conditions of operation. Their social function and the triangular relationship between the employee, the employer and the institutions for occupational retirement provision (IORPs) should be fully recognized and supported as a guiding principle of this Directive and occupational pension schemes based on collective agreements that take into account a gender perspective should be encouraged as it would play a significant role in the promotion of gender equality and in the reduction of pension inequalities between women and men
Amendment 43 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 46
Recital 46
(46) Institutions should provide clear and adequate information to prospective members, members and beneficiaries to support their decision-making about their retirement and ensure a high level of transparency throughout the various phases of a scheme comprising pre-enrolment, membership (including pre-retirement) and post-retirement. In particular, information concerning accrued pension entitlements, projected levels of retirement benefits, risks and guarantees, and costs should be given. Where members bear an investment risk, additional information on the investment profile, any available options and past performance are also crucial. However, clear and adequate information should not aim at the maximum of information only but also ensure that the information is adequate to the needs of the user, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities especially as regards accessibility (Article 3), access to information (Article 21) and taking into account the financial literacy of each individual.
Amendment 49 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Member States should guarantee that part-time workers, workers facing job discontinuity and workers with career gaps or with periods where fewer hours were worked have an effective equalisation to full time workers in their right to access to a decent pension scheme without any form of discrimination.