Pension Schemes in the European Public Sector

Also available in French
This study, which the Luxembourg Government announced in its Declaration of 21 July 1989, provides an overview - as detailed as possible - of legislation in the field of pensions for public servants in the Member States of the European Community.
The pension scheme for personnel of the European Communities and the pension schemes used in Austria and Switzerland have also been included.
The study was carried out on the basis of a detailed questionnaire containing some thirty questions. This questionnaire was drawn up by the Division for Retired Personnel at the Administration of State Personnel, keeping in mind the special problems of pensions as they currently appear in Luxembourg, and then sent to the competent services of the foreign countries concerned. The required data were gathered on the spot by Mr Pierre Neyens and Mr Edmond Koob between I December 1989 and 15 August 1990; in addition, supplementary information was requested by telephone throughout this period.
The analysis of the respective legislations has made it possible:

• to gather together comparable general and legal provisions and provisions related to calculation; 
• to highlight the characteristics inherent in certain provisions.

The study also mentions 'weak points' as revealed in the implementation of legal provisions and in 'reforms', the likelihood of which has been announced by some regulatory bodies within the framework of possible revisions of their pension systems.
The survey has been completed with general considerations referring to the statutory scheme of civil servants and to the problem of financing pensions; it finally compares the Luxembourg civil servants' pension scheme with the schemes of the international public sector.