The EESC stresses that occupational pension schemes, created as a result of decisions by the social partners, can play a very important role in ensuring that employees have additional pension provision. The EESC disagrees with the approach to IORPs purely as financial market institutions, which fails to acknowledge their important social function. A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way of achieving the Commission's objectives given the numerous differences between pension schemes in Member States.
Download — EESC opinion: Review of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Pensions Directive
With this opinion the EESC wants to highlight all forms of older peoples' participation in society. It recommends eliminating any barriers to their involvement and fostering their contribution. This means: increasing the offer of adapted learning for older people, namely on ICT, encouraging them to work until the retirement age and possibly beyond, provided that work environments and contractual arrangements meet their needs, valuing their role as volunteers, in particular as informal care givers, and recognising them as important consumers of goods and services.
Download — EESC opinion: Participation of older people in society
This exploratory opinion responds to a request made by the Polish Presidency. One of the key messages is that the number of high quality jobs needs to be increased. If we succeed to use the untapped employment reserves in all age brackets, many other issues - for instance the long term funding of the pension systems - will be solved. If the real retirement age is to be raised then it is necessary to ensure that people can work longer. The opinion lists a package of measures to make working conditions favourable for older people.
Download — EESC opinion: Demographic trends and the labour market
En torno al 42 % de la población europea de edad avanzada afirma que la discriminación por razón de la edad es un fenómeno muy extendido en sus países y que alcanza su punto álgido en el lugar de trabajo. La proporción de personas mayores de sesenta y cinco años aumentará constantemente en las próximas décadas, por lo que en la UE urge adoptar una estrategia global que suponga un cambio radical, tanto en el ámbito de las políticas como en la manera en que la sociedad percibe a las personas mayores
En un debate en el pleno con la vicepresidenta de la Comisión, Dubravka Šuica, el CESE pidió a la Comisión que presente una nueva Estrategia sobre personas mayores antes de que finalice el mandato actual.
