News
BackLast week, the EU employment ministers came together for one of their regular meetings in Luxemburg. On their agenda were among other the country specific recommendations, which the EU Commission had recently made to the EU Member States. In the original version, the Commission recommends to Austria to link the legal retirement age to life expectancy. A demand, which has been clearly rejected by the employees' side. Austria has now been able to moderate this controversial recommendation at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, and in the end the EU Commission had no objections against Austria’s requests for change.
The sustainability of the pension systems does not require the legal retirement age to be linked to life expectancy
The “European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination” was launched within the scope of the Europa 2020 Strategy in 2011. The country specific recommendations, which were prepared by the EU Commission, form part of the European Semester. This year, one of the recommendations for Austria was to link the legal retirement age to life expectancy. A recommendation, which the European Commission makes to Austria almost every year, and which is rejected by the Austrian government on an equally regular basis. Hence, it happened again this time at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg, where Austria succeeded in moderating this recommendation. In the end, the EU Commission too agreed to Austria’s request. The issue has now changed to raising the actual retirement age and to adjust it to changes in life expectancy, but not to link the two automatically. It will be interesting to see the reaction of the heads of state and government at this week’s summit, because the final decision concerning the recommendations of the EU Commission lies with them.
No progress concerning the report on gender balance in the appointment of women and men on supervisory boards of listed companies
Unfortunately, once again the meeting of employment ministers did not achieve agreement on the gender balance in the appointment of women and men in supervisory boards of listed companies. The target is to achieve a quota of 40 percent for the underrepresented gender (mainly women) by 2020. Even though the present recommendation does not provide for a rigid quota, many Member States are very much against it. Hence, hopes now lie with the Italian Presidency, which may succeed in convincing the remaining Member States of the urgent necessity of such a regulation.
Further information:
Press release by the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council
The “European Semester for Economic Policy Coordination” was launched within the scope of the Europa 2020 Strategy in 2011. The country specific recommendations, which were prepared by the EU Commission, form part of the European Semester. This year, one of the recommendations for Austria was to link the legal retirement age to life expectancy. A recommendation, which the European Commission makes to Austria almost every year, and which is rejected by the Austrian government on an equally regular basis. Hence, it happened again this time at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg, where Austria succeeded in moderating this recommendation. In the end, the EU Commission too agreed to Austria’s request. The issue has now changed to raising the actual retirement age and to adjust it to changes in life expectancy, but not to link the two automatically. It will be interesting to see the reaction of the heads of state and government at this week’s summit, because the final decision concerning the recommendations of the EU Commission lies with them.
No progress concerning the report on gender balance in the appointment of women and men on supervisory boards of listed companies
Unfortunately, once again the meeting of employment ministers did not achieve agreement on the gender balance in the appointment of women and men in supervisory boards of listed companies. The target is to achieve a quota of 40 percent for the underrepresented gender (mainly women) by 2020. Even though the present recommendation does not provide for a rigid quota, many Member States are very much against it. Hence, hopes now lie with the Italian Presidency, which may succeed in convincing the remaining Member States of the urgent necessity of such a regulation.
Further information:
Press release by the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council