The European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs on 23 June 2026 held a hearing on intergenerational solidarity through decent pensions, exposing divisions over reinforcing public versus private pension systems, later retirement, and the role of EU coordination. Leila Chaibi (The Left) warned against pan-European personal pension products weakening public systems, while Maravillas Abadía (EPP) stressed sustainability for younger contributors. Estelle Ceulemans (S&D) rejected unavoidable pension cuts and called for quality jobs, as Donna Bachmann (European Commission) noted falling replacement rates and the need for longer careers. Broad support emerged for life-course approaches, with Niels Geuking (EPP) linking sustainability to family policy, and gender and class inequalities were highlighted by Romana Jerković (S&D) 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 that pensions are 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.
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