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Nation to Join EU in Pension Project
By Li Jing,
China Daily
China
September 7, 2005
In the face of increasing internal migration, China will join with the European Union in a pilot "mobile pension" project early next year, an EU commissioner said yesterday in Beijing.
The 40-million-euro (US$50 million) project is the first co-operation in social security between China and the 25-member EU under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Monday at the 8th China-EU summit.
Vladimir Spidla, EU commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said that the project calls for a team of experts from the EU to provide assistance and know-how in implementing mobile pensions, which are aimed at ensuring that migrants get their pensions wherever they are.
"This memorandum is a good start and provides mutual learning opportunities for both sides," said Spidla, a former prime minister of the Czech Republic.
"China is a rapidly emerging economy and major player in international trade. It is time for a policy dialogue between the EU and China on employment and social affairs issues."
Spidla said the EU encourages free labourer movement and has gained some experience in how to guarantee that migrants get social welfare.
"For instance, a Czech person lived and worked in his mother country, Germany and France in his first 60 years, and now is spending his later years in Spain.
"Based on the mobile pension system, the Spanish Government may ask the governments of Czech Republic, Germany and France to jointly pay for the man's pension according to his working experience."
Spidla said the Chinese side, confronted with huge internal migration flows, was keen to benefit from the EU's experience in mobile pensions, and the coming co-operation project will be carried out in four to five areas around China.
He did not give more details about the project, saying "everything is still under discussion."
"I believe the EU and China will carry out much more co-operative programmes on employment and social security issues. In a globalized world, we can all learn from one another," Spidla said.
He said that under the memorandum, the EU and China will hold regular meetings and exchanges of information on areas such as social protection, social cohesion, labour legislation, and labour relations.
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