The European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs held a hearing on 23 June 2026 on intergenerational solidarity through decent pensions, exposing divisions over reinforcing public versus private pension systems, the pace of raising retirement ages, and how to address gender and class inequalities. The hearing, which examined pressures from ageing populations, lower fertility, youth unemployment, fragmented careers, platform work, and gender inequality, featured experts and MEPs staking out rival positions on the future of EU pension policy.
Leila Chaibi (The Left) warned against pan-European personal pension products, arguing they would weaken public systems, while Maravillas Abadía (EPP) stressed the need for sustainability to protect younger contributors. On retirement age, Estelle Ceulemans (S&D) rejected unavoidable pension cuts and called for quality jobs instead, while Donna Bachmann of the European Commission noted falling replacement rates and the need for longer careers. Life-course approaches saw broad support, with Niels Geuking (EPP) linking sustainability to family policy. Gender and class inequalities were highlighted by Romana Jerković (S&D), who focused on the gender pension gap, and Salvina Spasova (ASPEN), who noted unequal access to flexible retirement. Gordan Bosanac (Greens/EFA) framed demographic decline as a political choice, pointing to East-West gaps. Consensus emerged on pensions being inseparable from employment, care, and life-course policy, with quality jobs and gender equality as preconditions. Next steps include a 2027 Commission report on pension and long-term care adequacy.
The hearing's outcomes will feed into the Commission's ongoing work on financing, long-term care, and housing, as outlined by Bachmann. The debate highlighted trade-offs: reinforcing public pensions would protect adequacy but strain public finances, while expanding private pensions could ease fiscal pressure but risk widening inequalities. Raising retirement ages could improve sustainability but disproportionately affect workers in physically demanding jobs. A life-course approach investing in education, care, and gender equality could boost labour market participation but requires upfront public spending. The main stakeholders impacted include EU workers (especially women and low-income earners), pensioners, younger contributors, and EU member states managing pension budgets.