Tag: pension reform

Swedes should be prepared to work until they are 75 and to change careers in the middle of their work life if they are to keep the welfare standards they expect, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is overwhelmed with individual applications from Hungarian nationals who consider themselves abused by a pension reform that took effect a year ago with the objective of filling the state coffers.

Czech lawmakers gave their initial approval on 13 July to a pension bill that bucks a trend of unravelling retirement reforms in some EU newcomers but has triggered protests and hurt the government's popularity. EurActiv Czech Republic contributed to this article.

Fifteen large European firms have filed a complaint to the European Commission about hastily-adopted taxes in Hungary which they say threatens their activities in the country taking over the rotating EU Presidency. EurActiv.hu reports from Budapest.

Poland reached an agreement with the European Union aimed at loosening public finance rules in order to take into account costs of pension reform, Poland's Finance Ministry said on Friday (10 December).

Romanian President Traian Basescu said he was "not happy" with a decision by EU leaders last week to exclude the cost of pension reform programmes from public debt and deficit figures, saying he will fight for a "fair decision".

French trade unions launched the second 24-hour strike in a month on Thursday (23 September) against President Nicolas Sarkozy's unpopular pension reform, seeking to force his government to go back on plans to end retirement at 60.

The European Commission yesterday (7 July) launched its long-awaited 'Green Paper' on EU pension reform, but wary officials were at pains not to prescribe solutions to EU member states, where the issue is likely to spark controversies in coming years.

Tackling demographic change is not only about choosing the right policy mix between raising the retirement age and accepting immigrants, but also fighting prejudice and building partnerships with Mediterranean countries, said Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, president of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) party, in an interview with EurActiv.