European Round Table of Industrialists

MISSION :

This Working Group was active from 1999 until 2002.

It was chaired by Carlo De Benedetti (Cofide-Cir).

At the end of the 1990s concern about what became known as the "pensions time bomb" was largely restricted to academia and some corners of public administrations. ERT decided that greater attention to this issue was needed, given that maintaining current pension schemes threatened to become an increasing burden to taxpayers and to the competitiveness of European industry.

KEY MESSAGES :

High level meeting on Pension Reforms in Europe - Conference Summary

October 2001

ERT organised a high level meeting on Pension Reforms in Europe on 31 October 2001 in Brussels. Taking part were: ERT Members, the Belgian Minister for Social Affairs and Pensions, Frank Vandebroucke, Commissioner Pedro Solbes, Members of the European Parliament and pension experts from governments, business and academia.

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Monitoring Slow Pensions Reforms in Europe: Progress in Pension Reforms following the ERT Report of February 2000

October 2001

ERT commissioned a study from Fondazione Rodolfo DeBenedetti in follow-up to its Report of February 2000 to assess what progress had been made in the intervening period.

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Pensions Reform: Europe must seize the limited opportunity

March 2001

This short paper, addressed to the Stockholm European Council (March 2001) drew attention to the continuing lack of progress on Pensions Reform in most Member States, emphasising that the brief window of opportunity for affordable action (before the retirement of the baby-boom generation) was rapidly closing. It noted that political hurdles to reform might be overcome through better public information on the need for change.

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European Pensions: An Appeal for Reform

January 2000

This report addresses the key arguments and priorities for reform of public pension systems in Europe. It argues that current schemes are becoming an increasing burden to taxpayers, and threat to the competitiveness of European industry. They represent a barrier to the free movement of workers since citizens cannot transfer their pension entitlements across national orders without financial penalty. This situation is growing rapidly worse due to demographic trends across the EU. ERT advocates that urgent reform should be carried out through a co-ordinated approach among European countries. The report provides clear recommendations for action to governments and to EU policy-makers.

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