We call on candidates and future MEPs to:
Ensure adequate pension and old-age income for both women and men and put pressure on your government to:
- Adopt a framework directive on adequate minimum income to live in dignity including minimum pension, taking into account not only the relative at-risk of poverty line, but also age specific reference budgets based on a basket of goods and services;
- Call for a European Strategy to close the gender pay, career and pension gaps, addressing the challenges of both women still in employment and retired older women for whom positive changes in labour markets come too late;
- Step up EP and national parliamentary scrutiny of the European Semester, especially bearing in mind the challenge faced by statutory pensions to effectively protect from poverty;
- Support the role and responsibilities of the European Supervisory Authorities of financial markets, ensuring adequate financial and human resources to protect long-term returns, encourage sustainable investment strategies and enforce consumer’s rights in capital-based pension schemes;
- Adopt a European legal initiative to give access to adequate social protection to people in all – standard and non-standard – forms of employment and analyse the barriers that prevent people from exercising this right. It should contain universal and equal access to social protection rights, benefits and entitlements, quality healthcare, minimum income security and access to the goods and services defined as necessary at national level – in line with the related ILO recommendation, providing an effective social security net, which can be deployed in hard times;
- Adopt policies to protect older persons’ assets and empower them to make informed financial decisions.
"The Europe we want is for all ages" 