THE ROLE OF SOFT LAW IN THE CONVERGENCE OF PENSION POLICIES OF EU MEMBER STATES
Abstract
The failure of the European Union to harmonize the pension policies of its Member States and tighten the policy of budget deficit and public debt control have intensified the efforts to find a new way to regulate this area. Instead of harmonizing the Member States’ pension policies, the European Union has decided to take action aimed at their convergence. Given that the great heterogeneity of the Member States’ pension systems and policies made the implementation of the hard law infeasible, soft law has been implemented for regulating this area. The aim of this paper is to determine the effect of soft law regulation on the convergence of pension policies of the European Union Member States and assess its impact on the achievement of common defined objectives: sustainability and adequacy of pension systems, as well as modernization of pension systems.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abbott, K.W., Snidal, D., (2000). Hard and Soft Law in International Governance, International Organization, Vol. 54., No. 3., pp. 421-456, doi: 10.1162/002081800551280.
Avramović, D., (2011). „Omekšavanjem prava“ ka međunarodnoj vladavini prava?, Srpska politička misao, Vol. 32., No. 2., pp. 263-288.
Borrás, S., Jacobsson, K., (2004). The Open Method of Co-ordination and New Governance Patterns in the EU, Journal of European Public Policy, Vol. 11., No. 2., pp. 185–208, doi: 10.1080/1350176042000194395.
Clark, R.L., Burkhauser, R.V., Moon, M., Quinn, J.F., Smeeding, T.M., (2004). The Economics of an Aging Society, Oxford, Blackwell Publishing.
Commision of the European Communities, (2001). Supporting National Strategies for Safe and Sustainable Pensions Through an Integrated Approach, Brussels, Retrieved 26 February, 2016, from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52001DC0362&from=EN.
Dehousse, R., (2003). The Open Method of Coordination: A New Policy Paradigm?. Les Cahiers européens de Sciences Po, No. 03/2003, Paris, Centre d`etudes européennes at Sciences Po, Retrieved 20 February, 2016, from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/6564112.pdf.
De la Porte, C., (2002). Is the Open Method of Coordination Appropriate for Organising Activities at European Level in Sensitive Policy Areas?, European Law Journal, Vol. 8., No. 1., pp. 38-58.
De la Rosa, S., (2005). The Open Method of Coordination in the New Member States – The Perspectives for its Use as a Tool of Soft Law, European Law Journal, Vol. 11., No. 5., pp. 618-640.
European Commission, (2012). White Paper: An Agenda for Adequate, Safe and Sustainable Pensions, Brussels, European Commission.
European Commission, (2010). Green Paper: Towards Adequate, Sustainable and Safe European Pension Systems, Brussels, European Commission.
European Commission, (2009). Portfolio of Indicators for the Monitoring of the European Strategy for Social Protection and Social Inclusion - 2009 Update. Brussels, European Commission.
Eckardt, M., (2005). The Open Method of Coordination on Pensions: An Economic Analysis of its Effects on Pension Reforms, Journal of European Social Policy, Vol. 15., No. 3., pp. 247-267, doi: 10.1177/0958928705054088.
Guzman, A. T., (2005). The Design of International Agreements, The European Journal of International Law, Vol. 16., No. 4., pp. 579-612, doi: 10.1093/ejil/chi134.
Lisbon European Council, (2000). Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000, Presidency Conclusions, Retrieved 15 February, 2016, from www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/lis1_en.htm.
Natali, D., (2008). Pensions in Europe, European Pensions: The Evolution of Pension Policy at National and Supranational Level, P.I.E. Peter Lang S.A, Brussels.
Peters, A., Pagotto, I., (2004). Soft Law as a New Mode of Governance: A Legal Perspective, NewGov. Project No. CIT1-CT-2004-506392, Retrieved 10 March, 2016, from https://ius.unibas.ch/uploads/publics/3940/20100219145119_4b7e9757829c2.pdf.
Rakić, B., Nikolić, M., (2011). Uticaj demografskih kretanja na sisteme penzionog osiguranja/ In Aranđelović, Z. (ed), Regionalni razvoj i demografski tokovi zemalja jugoistočne Evrope/. - Niš: Ekonomski fakultet, 2011, pp. 403-413.
Schulz, J.H., (2001). The Economics of Aging, Greenwood Publishing Group, London.
Schwan, A., Sail, E., (2013). Assessing the Economic and Budgetary Impact of Linking Retirement Ages and Pension Benefits to Increase in Longevity. European Economy - Economic Papers 512. Brussels: European Commission.
Shaffer, G.C., Pollack, M.A., (2010). Hard vs. Soft Law: Alternatives, Complements and Antagonists in International Governance, Minnesota Law Review, Vol. 94., No. 3., pp. 706-799.
Shelton, D., (2003). Introduction: Law, Non-Law and the Problem of ‘Soft Law’/ In Shelton, D. (ed), Commitment and Compliance: The Role of Non-binding Norms in the International Legal System/.- New York, Oxford University Press, pp. 1-18.
Snyder, F., (1993). The Effectiveness of European Community Law: Institutions, Processes, Tools and Techniques, The Modern Law Review, Vol. 56., No. 1., pp. 19-54.
Szyszczak, E., (2006). Experimental Governance: The Open Method of Coordination, European Law Journal, Vol. 12., No. 4., pp. 486-502.
Weil, P., (1983). Towards Relative Normativity in International Law?, The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 77., No. 3., pp. 413-442.
Zerilli, F.M. (2010). The Rule of Soft Law: An Introduction. Focaal—Journal of Global and Historical Anthropology. Vol. 56. 3–18. doi:10.3167/fcl.2010.560101.
Đurđev, D., (2013). Soft Law u evropskom komunitarnom pravu, Zbornik radova Pravnog fakulteta u Novom Sadu, Vol. 1., pp. 101-116. doi: 10.5937/zrpfns47-3383.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22190/FULP1703201N
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
ISSN 1450-5517 (Print)
ISSN 2406-1786 (Online)