12 Amendments of Kinga GÖNCZ related to 2012/2234(INI)
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas retirement systems are a key element of the European social model which ensure a decentquate standard of living for people in old agea dignified life in old age, i.e. in line with the Article 1 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recalls the gender challenge regarding pensions; emphasises the need to improve gender equality at all ages and address the social impact of the shift from statutory pay-as-you-go to funded schemes and from defined-benefit to defined-contributions pension plans; underlines the urgency to address the poverty risk in particular among women, with no or inadequate access to individual or spousal pension rights, through the provision of a non-contributory income safety net in order to keep these women out of poverty;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises the likelihood of a long- term, low-growth economic scenario, which will require Member States to consolidate their budgets and reform their economies under austere conditions; subscribes, therefore, to the view expressed in the Commission's White Paper that people will need to build up complementary occupational and if possible private pension savings; calls on the Member States to ensure adequate old-age income for all through individual rights to pension, and maintain equal access to mandatory state-regulated pensions whether or not supplementary pensions are developed;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Stresses that first-pillar pensions remain the most important source of income for pensioners and offer the most adequate protection of old-age income, in particular for the most vulnerable groups, such as low-income workers, those with justified gaps in employment careers etc.; calls on Member States to implement reforms to their first-pillar systems aligning contributory years to the changing ratio between pensioners and people in working age, also to prevent public pension costs crowding out other important government spending; calls on the Member States to ensure first-pillar pensions −- if necessary complemented by minimum income provisions −- to provide a decent minimum income;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – point ii
Paragraph 4 – point ii
ii. a funded, employment-related, mandatory collective second-pillar pension, preferably governed by (sectoral) social partnnegotiated by social partners whilst governed by independent bodies which are publically accountable and include scheme members;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
calls on the Member States to consider introducing such or comparable schemes where they do not yet exist and safeguard that pension savings are well-protected and preserved for future use and do not fall prey to the short-term interests of governments having financial difficulties; calls on the Commission to ensure any existing or future regulation in the field of pensions to be conducive to multi-pillar pension schemes both financially and socially sustainable;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the main thrust of the White Paper that suggests focusing on: ensuring financial sustainability of pension systems in order to deliver adequate retirement incomes and to allow older people's decent living standards and economic independence; balancing time spent in work and retirement; developing complementary occupational and private pension savings, and enhancing the EU's pension monitoring tools in line with the increase in the number of healthy life years and not of the overall life expectancy;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Reiterates the call for closely linking pension benefits to years worked and premiums paid (‘actuarial fairness’), to ensure that working more and longer pays off for workers by having a better pension; recommends that the Member States, in consultation with social partners, allow individual workers, on a voluntary basis,put a ban on mandatory retirement ages to enable individuals to choose to continue to working after the statutory retirement age, as extending the period of premiums paid while at the same time shortening the period of benefit eligibility can help workers reduce any pension gaps at a fast pa, to phase their retirement, to work part- time or to stop working when they have reached pensionable age, providing that the labour market for older people is adjusted accordingly i.e. in order to meet specific needs of an ageing workforce;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the call in the White Paper for developing funded, complementary occupational pensions and private savings; stresses, however, that the Commission should rather recommend collective mandatory occupational pension savingchemes, as collective (second pillar) pension systems −– usually governed by (sectoral) social partners whilst governed by independent bodies which are publically accountable and include scheme members −– allow for solidarity within and between generations, whereas individual schemes do not; stresses the need to start building up complementary occupational pension systems now, despite the crisis, whilst recognise and address the difficulty of some people to access these schemes;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Stresses the need to put in place a common European supervision and regulatory system for financial markets and institutions in view of creating an environment that will enable every Member State to provide adequate protection of supplementary pensions systems and individual savings; stresses the need to develop EU rules for investment practice and prudent management of DC schemes, including life-styling portfolios, minimum return guarantees, protection of pension outcome when pay-out phase falls during economic and financial downturns and equal treatment through gender neutral life annuities;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the Member States and social partners to inform citizens properly about their accrued pension entitlements, and to raise their awareness and educate them so that they are able to make well-informed decisions as regards future additional pension savings; also to inform citizens about planned changes to the pension system in time so that they can make an informed and well thought out decision about their pension savings; calls on the Member States to formulate and enforce strict disclosure rules regarding the operating costs and risk and return on investments of pension funds operating within their jurisdiction;