Question for written answer E-002286/2019
to the Commission
Rule 138
István Ujhelyi (S&D)
Subject: European minimum pension
Europe has an outstanding level of social equality, but unless the EU’s social pillar is further developed, there will never be a united Europe and wage differences will drive voters towards populist parties. We are currently seeing and experiencing the results of this. According to a survey conducted in Hungary, 71% of voters think that it would be good if the EU also had an impact on social issues, for example if it determined a common minimum wage or a common minimum pension. It is a tragic and shocking fact that a third of the nearly two million pensioners in Hungary currently receive the equivalent of little more than EUR 300 a month. This is less than the minimum subsistence wage.
(1) In the Commission’s view, how can we eliminate the serious social imbalances between the Member States and ensure a dignified and secure retirement for all European citizens?
(2) Does the Commission think we can establish a common European minimum pension system which will provide retirement security for all European citizens?
(3) Does the Commission see the solution in tying the minimum pension to the average wage in the Member States or possibly to the minimum subsistence wage, or in a specific, general minimum pension figure?
Jozef zegt
………., toen ik dit las zag ik Frans Timmermans,(alias Hans Brusselmans uit het filmpje) al naar het spreekgestoelte rennen dat hij daar wel voor kan zorgen mits……….., alleen is hij niet verkozen en werd het Ursula von der Leyen.
Ja € 300, en een beetje is wel erg weinig om van te leven en in Hongarije is het ook erg koud in de winter. Brandhout en dergelijke (bruinkool) is er wel te vinden maar moet toch betaald worden, dan wordt de soep wel erg dun. Dan mogen wij als west Europeeërs nog in onze handen wrijven met de AOW wat ook geen vetpot is maar dit in vergelijking met de gepensioneerden in het oosten in dit geval Hongarije.
Het zal wel enige tijd duren eer dat de pensioenen daar op een meer gelijk niveau zijn met het westen.
Met vriendelijke groet, Jozef
N van Bijsterveldt zegt
Ik woon zelf in Hongarije, en de mensen hebben het inderdaad niet breed, wetende dat het stookhout net zo duur zo niet duurder is per m3 dan in Nederland ,hier betaalt men 26.000 Huf p/m3 omgerekend 80 € ongeveer, men verstookt ge middeld 6 a 7 m3 per wi ter reken maar uit.ook boodschappen zijn de laatste jaren aanmerkelijk duurder geworden,.
Inderdaad wij als AOWers hebben het hier goed in Hongarije wonende in het zuid/westen.
Inderdaad ook geen vetpot, in Nederland kun je er ook niet van rondkomen.
Dick van den Bergh zegt
To do that, there has to be balance in income BBP between the EU countries. This is far from it. Hungary is trailing Slovenia by 50%. The average pension in Germany is € 900,- per month. According to your € 300,- by an BBP of € 13.000,- the average in Germany should be over € 1.200,-. It is not. What is the price of a litre milk, a carton eggs and a loaf of bread, or a liter of gasoline and compare that to Germany or the Netherlands. You find your answer.
Jan de Voogd zegt
Question for written answer E-004303/2019
to the Commission
Rule 138
Viktor Uspaskich
Subject: Setting a minimum pension threshold of at least 60% of the average salary in an EU Member State
During discussions in the various working groups, I have proposed that the minimum pension should be set at at least 60% of the average salary in a given country. In this way, Member States’ social security systems would ensure an adequate retirement income and an adequate standard of living for all EU citizens.
What steps is the Commission taking in this regard?
Jan de Voogd zegt
EN E-004303/2019 Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission (24.2.2020)
The level and design of the minimum pensions are fundamentally a competence of Member States . They vary significantly across countries, reflecting the diversity of social protection systems.
Nonetheless, the Commission supports national efforts to ensure upward social convergence, including adequate pensions, and to uphold the ambition expressed in the European Pillar of Social Rights whereby the right to resources that ensure living in dignity in old age should be pursued. The Commission supports Member States through the European Semester coordination exercise as well as through mutual learning, policy analysis, and guidance. In 2019, 16 Member States received country-specific recommendations to improve the sustainability and/or adequacy of their pension systems, including the adequacy of minimum pensions. The key conclusions of the 2018 pension adequacy report affirm the vital role of minimum pensions as an old-age safety net.
As announced in the political guidelines and mission letters to the European Commission 2019-2024, the Commission will prepare an action plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and a Green Paper on Ageing, including a focus on pensions.
Jan de Voogd zegt
Question for written answer E-002015/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Eugen Tomac (PPE)
Subject: Towards a European minimum pension?
In 2020, 19.5% of people over the age of 65 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union, with that percentage standing as high as 48% in some Member States. The minimum pension varies from one Member State to another. In Romania, the guaranteed minimum pension – on which roughly 1 million people are living – is around EUR 200. What is more, Romania, like other Member States, has an ageing population, and this trend is set to increase in the coming years owing to the low birth rate.
Given the inflationary economic situation, rising prices and uncertainties generated by the war in Ukraine, it is clear that this amount is not enough to guarantee a decent quality of life.
In view of this, can the Commission state:
1. What solutions it is contemplating to eliminate the risk of poverty and social exclusion among pensioners;
2. How it supports Member States that find it difficult to guarantee a minimum quality of life threshold for pensioners;
3. Whether consideration is being given to adopting European legislation along the lines of the directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages in the European Union, and whether one can envisage the idea of a European minimum pension?
EN E-002015/2022 Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission (29.7.2022)
In line with the Treaties , the EU shall support and complement the activities of Member States in social security and social protection of workers, while ensuring the right of Member States to define the fundamental principles of their social security systems is not affected. Currently, the Commission supports and complements the activities of the Member States to protect older people against poverty and social exclusion and maintain their living standards by facilitating mutual learning and analysis, for instance, through the triennial Pension Adequacy Reports . The 2021 edition of the report highlighted the important role of minimum old-age benefits in safeguarding adequate pensions for those with short careers or low incomes. The report observed that Member States have put in place diverse minimum income schemes while new measures have been adopted in a number of countries to expand the minimum income protection in old age.
Support to national measures to prepare pension reforms and improve services for older people is available from Union programmes such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility , the Technical Support Instrument and the Employment and Social Innovation strand of the European Social Fund + .
Finally, the Commission launched a High-Level Group of experts to examine policy options to reinforce welfare states in providing social protection for all and ensure its financing in light of ongoing and upcoming challenges. The group will consider, inter alia, how to ensure adequate social protection in old age against the background of population ageing and changes in the labour market, including the role of minimum pensions. It will prepare a report that will feed into debate on potential policy follow-up at national and EU level.