WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2082/97 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Pension reform
Date: 1997-06-19
Institutions: European Parliament, MUSCARDINI
Subjects: Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, European social policy, approximation of policies, competence of the Member States, pension scheme, principle of subsidiarity, social change, social security

10. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 45/153

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(17 July 1997)

1 - 2.
The  Commission  intends  to  use  all  the  legal  means  at  its  disposal  to  defend  present  Community
legislation in the context of the World trade organization (WTO) procedures. A decision has been taken to appeal
from  the  Panel(cid:146)s  report.  Until  there  is  a  definitive  ruling  on  this  matter  under  the  WTO  dispute  settlement
process, it is not possible to indicate what course of action might be open to the Community. The position that the
Commission has defended in the WTO proceedings is that the Community(cid:146)s right to decide what level of sanitary
protection  it  deems  appropriate  for  its  citizens  should  be  fully  recognized  by  the  Sanitary  and  phytosanitary
agreement.

3.

The Commission has recently received the request of the Honourable Member and will speedily reply to it.

(98/C 45/201)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2082/97

by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission

(19 June 1997)

Subject: Pension reform

The  European  Charter  of  Pensioners(cid:146)  Rights  forcefully  asserts  a  number  of  principles  concerning  retired
workers, particularly in Articles 5 and 8 thereof.

Would the Commission state:

1.

2.

its views on these principles and their implementation?

whether practical proposals should be drawn up?

whether it agrees that a People(cid:146)s Europe must not focus exclusively on strictly monetary matters, but must

3.
also provide appropriate responses to issues of this kind?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(22 July 1997)

1.
The Commission supports the principles set out in the European Charter of Pensioners’ Rights. However,
the responsibility for implementing those principles lies with the Member States, each of which retains control
over the organisation and funding of its pension system, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

2.
On 12 March 1997 the Commission published a Communication to the Council and European Parliament
entitled (cid:145)Modernising and improving social protection in the European Union(cid:146) (1), in which it analyses, among
other matters, the question of the future of pension systems in view of the demographic ageing of European
societies. In particular, it sets out possible approaches geared to making public pension schemes sustainable,
providing a secure environment for supplementary pension schemes and meeting care needs for older people.
The  Commission  invites  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament,  the  Economic  and  Social  Committee,  the
Employment and Labour Market Committee, and the Economic Policy Committee to give their opinions on the
ideas for the modernisation of social protection systems presented in the Communication.

3.
The Commission is determined to promote the establishing of a European social model based on common
values and on the conviction that social policy and economic results are not conflicting interests, but consolidate
each  other.  Highly-developed  social  protection  systems  are  a  major  component  of  this  model.  However,  to
preserve  social  protection,  it  is  necessary  to  reform  the  European  systems  in  their  various  guises,  as  the
conditions in which those systems evolved have changed. The aim is to adapt social protection to today’s society,
without divesting it of its fundamental values of solidarity and cohesion. This is a complex task, and there is no
definitive  way  to  perform  it.  Each  Member  State  must  find  solutions  tailored  to  its  own  system,  whilst
persevering  with  the  convergence  strategy  set  out  in  the  Council  Recommendation  of  27  July  1992
(92/442/EEC) (2).

(1)  COM(97) 102.
(2)  OJ L 245, 26.8.1992.