Improving the acquisition and preservation of supplementary pension rights in order to enhance worker mobility

The Commission communication concerns the position of the Council at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum requirements for enhancing worker mobility by improving the acquisition and preservation of supplementary pension rights.

The Commission notes that the Council’s position differs from the Commission proposal in two main aspects :

1) the scope of the Directive: the Council wishes to reduce the scope to cross-border mobility, with internal mobility remaining the responsibility of Member States. The Commission had proposed that all workers changing jobs should benefit from the provisions of the directive, whether they change jobs within a country or across borders. The Commission can accept this position, but invites Member States to also apply the standards of the directive to workers changing jobs within a country ;

2) conditions for the acquisition of occupational pension rights: the Council took the position that the combined waiting and vesting periods must not be longer than three years. At the same time, the Council opted for a more favourable rule on maximum allowed minimum age for acquiring a vested pension right. Instead of 25 years, the minimum age should not exceed 21 years.

While the Council’s position falls short of the Commission’s proposal regarding the total length of waiting and vesting periods, it represents an improvement regarding the minimum age.

The Commission therefore considers that it can endorse the Council position so that the European Parliament can adopt the final text in second reading before the end of the current legislature.