Pension adequacy in Europe – the theme of our conference in September
The population is ageing in all EU countries. What kind of pensions can you expect to get in Europe? Are the schemes sustainable, both financially and socially? What is the European response to the related challenges?
The conference Pension Adequacy in Europe – Today and Tomorrow, a side event of Finland’s EU presidency, will take place in Helsinki on 17 September 2019. It gathers European experts on pensions and pension policy.
The conference looks at pension adequacy in Europe, from the viewpoint of both research and EU policies. On a more detailed level, the themes include the economic well-being of pensioners and the role of services in their well-being, as well as pensions for the self-employed.
The keynote speakers include one of the most distinguished experts on social indicators, Rudi Van Dam (Chair of the Indicators Subgroup ISG). He calls out for more multi-dimensional indicators to measure pension systems. In the future, more harmonised information is needed to monitor the economic well-being of pensioners and the elderly population.
The conference will conclude with a look forward. What will the level of pensions be in the future, and what role does EU play in the development of pensions? The panel chaired by Mikko Kautto (Finnish Centre for Pensions) will include the following panellists: Yves Stevens and Axel West Pedersen (researchers), Katarina Ivanković Knežević (European Commission) and Monika Queisser (OECD).
The Finnish Minister of Social Affairs and Health (yet to be appointed) will open the conference and Rait Kuuse (Social Protection Committee, European Commission) will summarise the key take-aways of the day. The conference will be moderated by Outi Antila (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health) and Mikko Kautto (Finnish Centre for Pensions).
How to measure livelihood?
One of the topics of discussion at the conference is how pension adequacy is measured and what role the Pension Adequacy Report (PAR) holds in EU’s overall pension policy.
The work on the next PAR will be launched in the autumn of 2019. “The conference will discuss how pension adequacy should be assessed and what the report is used for,” explains Kautto.
The keynote speakers are experts with insight into how SPC operates and how matters are advanced within the EU. They are qualified to take a stand on what is to be monitored when reviewing pension adequacy. “In the EU, pensions are examined from both the point of view of the sustainability of pension financing and the adequacy of pensions. However, making shared reviews and drawing joint conclusions is rare,” Kautto states.
The conference is arranged by the Finnish Centre for Pensions and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on 17 September 2019 at Musiikkitalo in Helsinki (Helsinki Music Centre).
For more information on the conference, contact Kati Kuitto
(kati.kuitto(at)etk.fi)
Photo: Karoliina Paatos