Poverty Convention: conclusions and results

European Commission MEMO Brussels, 28 November 2013 The implementation of the Social Investment Package (SIP), giving priority to social investment and the modernisation of the welfare state, was the main focus of discussions during the Third Annual Convention of the Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion. 

Poverty Convention – conclusions and results

Pensions: Commission welcomes OECD report on value of recent reforms to face future challenges

European Commission MEMO Brussels, 28 November 2013 Recent reforms of pension systems have helped to contain the rise in future cost resulting from ageing populations and increasing life expectancy. These are the findings of the new OECD report Pensions at a Glance 2013. This fifth edition of Pensions at a Glance provides a range of indicators for comparing pension policies and their outcomes between OECD countries. The indicators are also, where possible, provided for the other major economies that are members of the G20. Two special chapters (Chapters 1 and 2) provide deeper analysis of recent pension reforms and their impact and of the role of housing, financial wealth and public service for retirement income adequacy.

Chapter 1. Recent pensions reforms and their distributional impact

Chapter 2. Housing, financial wealth and public services for adequate living standards in old-age

Chapter 3. Design of pension systems

Chapter 4. Pension entitlements

Chapter 5. Income and poverty of older people

Chapter 6. Finances of retirement-income systems

Chapter 7. Demographic and economic context

Chapter 8. Private pensions and public pension reserves

Chapter 9. Pensions at a Glance 2013: Country profiles

Full report: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/finance-and-investment/pensions-at-a-glance-2013_pension_glance-2013-en

OECD Multilingual Summaries: http://www.oecdepublishing.org/multilingual-summaries/pension_glance-2013-sum/html/pension_glance-2013-sum-de.html

Financial Abuse of Seniors Meeting: Summary Report

The Department of Human Resources and Skills Development in collaboration with the International Federation on Ageing hosted a high-level meeting on the financial abuse of seniors to raise awareness, build networks, and create a dialogue on the financial abuse of seniors. Delegates discussed challenges existing in preventing, detecting and responding to this issue, shared promising best practices and explored how to best address the financial abuse of seniors.

http://www.ifa-fiv.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Financial-Abuse-of-Seniors-Meeting.pdf

Exchange of Practice on Minimum Income Schemes – report available!

The European Minimum Income Network (EMIN) held a Peer Review in October 2011 between the 5 selected countries in the EMIN project (Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland and Italy).

The review looked at issues to do with adequacy, coverage and take up of Minimum Income Schemes as well as proposing steps that could be taken for the progressive realization of adequate Minimum Income Schemes.

Perspective on these topics were also brought to the discussion from the partners in the project.  This report presents the findings and discussions that were part of this Peer Review.  Comments on the report and the proposals would be welcomed.

See the report here: EMIN-First-Peer-Review-Report-en

Financial literacy across generations

The theme of this third annual Financial Literacy Month is “Financial Literacy across Generations.” The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has once again partnered with different organizations to raise awareness about FLM and to encourage all ages to participate. This year’s FLM puts the focus on learning or brushing up on the basics of money management at any age and will include events for Canadians of all ages. “Understanding the basics such as budgeting and saving as children is the first step,” said Commissioner Tedesco. “Learning how to manage credit and debt and plan financially provides Canadian youth with the tools they need to navigate through the financial realities of adulthood. Ultimately, this will help to ensure that their finances are in good shape as they enter their retirement years.”
http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/about/news/pages/ConsNews-ConsNouv-0.aspx?itemid=241