Pension reform in the European Union

Ana Sofia Carvalho

Keywords

European Union; Pensions; Green and White Papers

Abstract

Pension reform in the European Union is under study since 2010, the year that the Green Paper of the European Commission called "Towards adequate, sustainable and safe European pension systems" launched a Europe-wide debate about the key challenges facing pension systems and on how the EU can support the efforts of Member States to provide adequate and sustainable pensions. To this challenge answered hundreds of actors, having expressed a wish to see addressed issues relating to pensions with a comprehensive and coordinated manner across the European Union. Thus, in 2012 appears the White Paper of the European Commission entitled "An agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions” reflecting the results of the consultation launched by the Green Paper and setting an agenda to make adequate and sustainable pensions in the long term, creating conditions for both women and men participate in the labor force throughout their lives and enhancing the opportunities to establish additional retirement savings schemes. This article explains the challenges and proposals within the White Paper.