All articles by Jeremy Woolfe – Page 7
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Opinion PiecesIORP governance
Suggestions to make the basis for a systematic set of codified rules to cover the governance of occupational pension schemes across the entire EU have emerged from a working group of pension stakeholders.
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NewsBelgian pension fund OGEO reports 9% return for 2012
BELGIUM – Expansion plans could include Flanders region, Brussels, director says.
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NewsLetter from Brussels: The pensioners' point of view
Pensioners at a recent ‘symposium’ on pensions leave sated but none the wiser.
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Opinion Pieces
Happy in the hot seat
Jeremy Woolfe asks Gabriel Bernardino, the chairman of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, about the challenges he faces stuck in the crossfire of the conflicting interests of the European pensions industry
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Opinion Pieces
A long-term dream
Philippe Maystadt, former Belgian finance minister and European Investment Bank (EIB) president, recently fleshed out the European Commission’s policy paper to promote long-term investment.
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Opinion Pieces
The growth agenda
The European Commission’s green paper, Long-term Financing of the European Economy, is a rarity– it gets applause from all quarters.
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Opinion Pieces
Anti-SII bloc victory?
The bloc of EU member states opposed to the inclusion of Solvency II-inspired provisions in the planned IORP II Directive, appear to be on the road to victory.
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NewsEuropean Commission unveils Green Paper on long-term financing
EUROPE – Stresses importance of ensuring prudential rules do not discourage long-term financing.
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NewsEuropean Commission appoints new head for pensions, insurance unit
EUROPE – Austrian national moves 'horizontally' to replace industry veteran Karel Van Hulle.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: Social and labour issues
Disputes between Brussels and national governments are likely to emerge when the European Commission unveils in June its position on the rules concerning national social and labour law (SLL).
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NewsBelgium opposes 'Solvency II-inspired' measures in revised IORP Directive
EUROPE – Country joins Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and UK in opposition to proposed measures.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: Enforcement problems
Enhancement to the EU’s successful UCITS legislation for cross-border collective investments is now underway. But there are nagging concerns that whatever the outcome for UCITS V, the good work could be undone by member states and their judicial systems failing to enforce common rules.
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NewsThe IORP Directive: A new boss
Brussels is about to announce the appointment of a key decision maker for pension regulation.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: Soup-kitchen future?
There are increasing forecasts of widespread poverty for Europe’s pensioners in future decades. For a start, there are the 60m citizens in the EU who do not have an occupational scheme. Longevity combined with feeble returns on investment, plus millions of young, non-contributing unemployed people, support the forecast of misery.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: Deaf ears for EC claims
Summer 2013 might be some way off but it is when the European Commission intends to publish its proposals for IORP II. And signs from the Commission are that the usual procrastination is no longer intended.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: Lack of trust blamed for low savings
While euro-zone household savings, including retirement provision, grew steadily from around €600bn gross savings at the end of the century to a peak of €910bn in 2009, they fell to €834bn by 2011.
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NewsMoney market funds wary of possible 'shadow banking' rules
GLOBAL – European Parliament now reviewing Commission's Green Paper on the practice.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: EU clears the decks
The Brussels legislative programme for the financial sector will be as frenetic as ever from now until early 2013. It is a race to achieve as much as possible before electoral canvassing by MEPs starts ahead of the parliamentary elections in May 2014.
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NewsLong-term investors decry 'watering down' of European audit reform
EUROPE – Critics include Sweden's AP funds, USS, RPMI Railpen and Switzerland's Ethos.
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Opinion Pieces
Letter from Brussels: Ins and outs of ‘flexileg’
In the old days, an international investment bank could study a Brussels Directive or Regulation and make plans.
