01-03-2007: Berlin Europe Academy Symposium on "The future of old-age pension schemes" - Heesen: Work on the European Social Model is the key task for the future
 
Europe must face up to demographic challenges together. This was the message stressed by Peter Heesen, President of the Europe Academy, as he opened a symposium devoted to the topic of "The Future of Old-age Pension Schemes in Europe" on 26-28 February, 2007 in Berlin. Working on a European Social Model was a key task for the future, "if we want to continue successfully along the path of a unified Europe", observed Heesen to around 150 guests from across Europe assembled in the dbb forum, Berlin.

Focusing on demographic change, a phenomenon that has been shaping European society for more than two decades, Heesen added: "We no longer have much time to solve problems we have known about for years." This was the reason why the Berlin symposium, organised by the Europe Academy, the Research and Further Training Centre of CESI marked the launch of three events on the issue of "Europe’s Demographic Challenge - Ways out of the Crisis".

Germany, which holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first six months of 2007, had a particular responsibility for shaping the future of Europe, said Heesen. "And this responsibility demands that we lay our facts on the table, we call a spade a spade, and show courage and imagination in equal measure when developing solutions." Demographic change - increasingly fewer young people must provide financial support for increasingly older people for an increasing amount of time - is rightly seen by many national governments as well as the European Commission "as one of Europe’s greatest challenges", noted Heesen. "However, we would not be going far enough if we tried to solve the problem purely at European level. The many specificities pertaining to the nation-state which govern old-age pension schemes at the least mean that it is essential that we strive for national solutions without losing sight of the European context", said the Academy President. "After all, each old-age pension scheme in Europe tells its own story and above all carries its own societal and political implications. "It would be an aberration for Germany, for example, if German employers were to back out of tried and tested company pensions", said Heesen, who is also National Chairman of the dbb (German Civil Service Association).

The Europe Academy was planning to use its symposia to draw attention to the problems of demographic change and their effects, encourage people to talk more about the issues, and enrich the discussion with ideas and suggestions. Alongside German Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Franz Müntefering, Johann Hahlen, State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Prof. Gert G. Wagner, Evangelical Church in Germany, Prof. Winfried Schmähl, Bremen University, Klaus Dauderstädt, Chairman of the GdS union, and Ruth Paserman, European Commission, to name but a few, spoke at the opening event.

The second symposium will be held in Seville from 8 until 11 May, 2007. The theme will be "Integrating Young and Older Workers into the Labour Market". The closing event will be held from 12 until 14 September, 2007 in Brussels. Its title is "The Courage to have children - Women and Men torn between Work and Family".