Social protection: long-term evolution of pensions

The Council took note of the report by the Social Protection Committee on the sustainability of pension systems. This report is a follow-up to the preliminary study on the long-term viability of pensions. The report analyses what will be needed to ensure that pension systems provide retired people with a securely financed, adequate income that does not destabilise public finances or impose an excessive burden on future generations, while maintaining fairness and solidarity. It emphasises the following: - safeguard the capacity of pension systems to meet their social aims of providing safe and adequate incomes to retired persons. - maintain the financial sustainability of pension systems. - enhance the ability of the systems to deal with the changing needs of society and individuals. The main chapters of the report deal with the following: - challenges, including demography and sustainability, new employment patterns, evolution of family structures; - meeting the challenges, including safeguarding the financial stability of the systems, maintaining social cohesion, adapting pension systems to a changing society; - national reform processes and the role of the Union.�