Unfavourable demographic trends are exerting more pressure on public pension systems in all European countries, and the need for alternative sources of pension provision is increasing. Personal pension products can be considered as a possible solution to the problem of providing adequate pensions. The pan-European personal pension product (PEPP) is the first standardised pension product subject to a uniform EU regime. Now that the regulatory framework for PEPP has been established at the EU level, it is up to the Member States to create an appropriate legal environment in order to promote the successful development of PEPP. This article examines the role of voluntary pension funds and the readiness to implement PEPP in the selected countries. We focus on the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, where the role of private pension funds is growing. We examine how PEPP can fit into the national pension systems and make some proposals regarding regulatory measures to be taken in order to ensure that PEPP is not at a competitive disadvantage against national pension products. We find that PEPP may fill the pension gap in countries where public pensions are the main source of retirement income and the role of occupational pension schemes is insignificant.

Different areas serve as sources of pension protection for the citizens of the European Union. Along with pensions from public systems, capital pensions are playing an increasing role. Financial institutions-providers of pension savings products operate on a different business model; the diversity cause difficulties in tracking individual’s pension savings, and in promoting pension protection. The pension tracking system is seen as a mechanism for achieving a more efficient market for pension products. This paper examines the development of the pension tracking system (PTS) for European Union member states with multi-pillar pension system. We study the application of the PTS in Bulgaria, to exemplify the structure of the PTS for other EU member states. We conclude that the development of PTS is a necessary set of measures that would be a prerequisite for improving the well-being of the savers.

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This study proposes a structured product (SP) for hedging defined contribution pension fund members against capital market risk. Using Monte Carlo simulations on three different guaranteed returns to test the investment strategy of the SP against a balanced investment portfolio, we measure their performance across a wide variety of capital market returns and risk scenarios. The results show that the SP guarantees a minimal return on the pension savings portfolio and offers a higher portfolio return at a lower investment risk, compared with the balanced investment portfolio. We conclude that the SP may become popular among pension fund members, potentially leading to improved risk management, greater competition, and investment strategy innovations for defined contribution pension schemes.

Recently, the European Union (EU) has called for the development of a new pan-European Pension Product (PEPP), in order to increase long-term savings among EU member states. To promote the take-up of PEPP, The EU's commission recommended individual tax benefits at the national level. In this note, we show a linkage between individual tax benefits and the development of Israeli pension funds, as a result of changes in tax regulations by the Israeli government. Our results support the EU's recommendations for individual tax incentives and provide a useful guideline for policymakers.