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• Third, pensions should be adapted to changing economic, social and individual needs through
generating gender equality. Old-age security systems should be more transparent and adapt-
able to changing circumstances, so that citizens can continue to have confidence in them. And
finally the methodological basis for efficient monitoring of pension reforms and policies
should be improved.
Now, the member states had to present their first national strategy reports for old-age security.61 In
a first draft the Commission has analysed these reports already, whereas good practice and inno-
vative approaches of common interests are identified and presented to the member states.62 In
Spring 2003, the Council and the Commission have to provide a joint report to assess national
old-age security strategies and identify good practices. Furthermore, in 2004 they are going to
assess the objectives and working methods established and decide upon objectives, methods and
timetables for the future old-age security strategy.
It is mentioned below, that there is no accord on social indicators and benchmarks as instructed by
the Gothenburg Council in June 2001 yet. In the following part it will be outlined, that these indi-
cators are an important element of the OMC.63
3.3 The point at issue: Social indicators and benchmarks
In addition to the formulation of common objectives and working methods, the development and
choice of appropriate quantitative and qualitative indicators and benchmarks are in the foreground
of current national and European efforts. They are supposed to supply comparable information on
trends that are of importance for the ‘financial sustainability of pensions systems’, and to be able
to reflect the ‘adequacy of pensions’ as well as the ‘modernisation of pension systems’ - such as
pointed out in the joint report on Objectives and working methods in the area of pensions: apply-
ing the open method of co-ordination.
Social indicators, on the one hand, are a tool for assessing a country’s level of social development
and the impact of its social policy. Especially Eurostat and the European Commission support the
development of these indicators. Such indicators are already in use in several member states of the
EU. They started to play a crucial role in advancing the social dimension of Europe.64 Bench-
marks, on the other hand, may be defined as a standard or point of reference actual data has to be
compared to. Therefore, benchmarks are a tool for private and public organisations and for social
61
The German government e.g. has presented their report in June 2002. For this report see Deutscher Bunde-
stag (2002).
62
Cf. Commission of the European Communities (2002).
63
Cf. Ruland (2002: 39) as well as Schmahl (2002: 106). For an earlier and fundamental comment on this
issue see Schmahl (1991).
64
Publications such as The Social Situation in Europe, The Social Protection in Europe, The Social Portrait
of Europe or the Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC) have disseminated the social
monitoring of the EU. Cf. Gobel (2002: 128).