Activities of Marian HARKIN related to 2010/2239(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems (debate)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the financial and economic crisis has greatly added to the underlying demographic challenge facing the EU,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the provision of adequate, sustainable and safe pensions is inextricably linked with higher levels of employment, greater productivity and economic growth,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas risk mitigation and shock absorption need to be taken into account in the design of pension funds,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas it is estimated that the annual pensions gap in the EU27 is €1.9 trillion, or 19% of 2010 EU GDP (the pensions gap is the difference between the pension provision currently in place and the pension provision that people retiring between 2011 and 2051 will need to maintain a comparable standard of living in retirement),
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
Dc. whereas this pensions gap can be bridged by means of a number of different measures, which need to be clearly identified and developed at Member State level,
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that Member States face enormous challenges in ensuring that pensions meet citizens' expectations; and provide a standard of living in old age which is above the poverty threshold of the Member States;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Believes that pension funds should build on the advantages of collective insurance;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that long-term investment in pension systems requires a positiven enhanced approach as part of economic governance and more particularly inbelieves that the Stability and Growth Pact must take Member States' pension liabilities into account when monitoring the sustainability of public finances;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that pensions and pension systems are a primary responsibility of the Member States, but recognises that the Member States' economies are all interdependent; therefore calls on Member States to use soft law tools, such as the Open Method of Coordination, to guarantee the adequacy, safety and sustainability of their pension systems;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Regrets that the Green Paper does not devote anyenough attention to the gender issues, particularly bearing in mind that, because of disparities in careerthe interruptions to their careers, for example to fulfil responsibilities as carers, and because of their lower incomes, women have smaller pensions on average;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recognises the need to address adequacy gaps which arise because of periods of unemployment, sickness, caring duties, short-term contracts and atypical work;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Does not cConsiders it possible to set an adequate pension at European level, because the amount required is very dependent on specific circumstances in the Member Statesagree on the principle of pensions adequacy at European level, while respecting the specific circumstances in the Member States and the full powers enjoyed by Member States to define the adequacy of their pension systems and ensure that older people have access to the necessary financial and in-kind resources to live a decent life in old age;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that, within the diversity of pension systems, the general systems (first pillar) combined with work-relatedoccupational systems (second pillar) afford the best guarantee of adequate and secured pension provision for all;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Believes that better sharing of information between Member States on the costs and effectiveness of forms of tax relief on private pensions would be very useful;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Notes that national budgets are under severe pressure and that many Member States are reviewing the efficiency of expenditure; calls on Member States to consider introducing compensation so that all taxpayers who cannot achieve the level of ambition in the first and second pillars are entitled to a supplementaryn offset of pension contributions in the second pillar or of contributions to private pension schemes in the third pillar; notes that this could also help Member States to establish a three-pillar structure;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Considers that, in view of demographic trends and the need to ensure that pensions can be paid for, it is necessary for more people to participate in the labour market and to do so for longer; observes that life expectancy is growing and calls on Member States to consider linking the statutory retirement age to life expectancy; , however, that better occupational health is a precondition for longer working lives and calls on Member States to consider linking the statutory retirement age to the HLY (Healthy Life Years) Indicator; takes the view that the statutory retirement age should be debated at Member State level through an active dialogue with the social partners and relevant organisations;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that there are major disparities in the statutory retirement age and in the actual age at which older people cease to be employed; calls on Member States and the two sides of industrysocial partners, therefore, to exchange information about good experiences and to conclude agreements leading to a prolongation ofon how to ensure more flexibility when prolonging working life, for example by rewarding people who work for longer, by developing comprehensive age management strategies at national and company level, and by developing new forms of work-life balance provisions adapted to the specific needs of the 50+ age group;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Considers that, if the 2020 Strategy is successful, this will mean that more people are in work and that economic growth will benefit from this, thus enhancing both the sustainability and the adequacy of pension systems;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Considers that the EU should introduce reporting mechanisms through the Social Open Method of Coordination to monitor progress in ensuring both the sustainability and adequacy of pensions in the medium and long term;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers that the second pillar must be available to all employees by right, without any discrimination on grounds of age, sex, sector and/or employment contract;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Member States to support the development of a social dialogue in the field of old-age pension provisionand civic dialogue concerning old-age pension provision and the statutory retirement age;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Is concerned about the inadequate information provided to the public by public authorities and bodies administering pensions concerning the necessity, possibilities, accumulated entitlements, likely results and actual state of affairs with regard to old-age pensions; calls on the Commission and Member States to launch campaigns to enable and encourage members of the public to take measures to ensure adequate pension provision for themselves, supports the development of an EU-wide tracking system to enable citizens to access information about their accrued rights from anywhere in the EU, based on existing Member State initiatives and experiences;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)
Paragraph 33 a (new)
33a. Calls on Member States and the Commission to develop EU common rules to ensure that Member States provide citizens with regular, reliable updates about their future individual pension rights and general, standardised information on the potential risk of suffering a reduction in accrued rights and the administrative costs, payout options, internal and cross-border portability restrictions, default options, etc. of the various schemes and products available to them;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Considers that, when pension provision is reformed, or when there is a changeover from a promised pension to a promised pension arrangement, or from a final salary to a mean salary system, the public must be promptly and fully informed of the consequences, stresses that providing information to individuals is not enough and that they should be protected against insolvency risks regardless of the scheme they are involved in;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to renew and strengthen the Social Open Method of Coordination, in order to develop a better understanding of what an adequate income in old age means and to devise common indicators to monitor the social realities faced by retired people and inform national debates on adequacy; when coordinating national policies on pensions, it will be essential to pay due attention to the impact of the reforms on vulnerable groups (women, informal carers, the long- term unemployed, young and older workers, disabled people and migrants with short careers in the EU);