Europe

FRANCE - The strikes over proposed reforms to the special retirement regimes (‘régimes spéciaux'), which have affected much of France, may soon be at an end.

FRANCE - Commuters in Paris and throughout the country have braced themselves for a further wave of strikes and demonstrations over President Nicholas Sarkozy's proposed reforms to the special pension regimes (régimes spéciaux) provided to public sector...

UK - Paternoster has taken over assets worth £170m and liabilities of the Emap Earnings Related Pension Plan (EERPP) and the Scottish Radio Holdings (SRH) Pension Scheme.

EUROPE - Denmark has come out on top for the second year running and Italy has fared worst in a report ranking pension systems across Europe.

UK - The number of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes in deficit and covered by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) fell 1% to 70% by the end of October 2007.

UK - The UK is entering uncharted territory with the introduction of the National Pension Savings Scheme (NPSS), David Harris, managing director of Tor Financial Consulting, has warned.

UK - Pension Corporation's takeover of Marconi remnant telent has hit another hurdle, after the union representing the company's workforce vowed to do all it could to block the deal.

NORWAY - The Government Pension Fund - Global is to commission a report on investing in real estate.

UK - A survey of over 100 defined benefit (DB) schemes has shown over half have been closed to new members and a further one in seven are frozen and are not accruing benefits, according to a report by Hewitt Associates.

UK - As an increasing number of defined benefit (DB) schemes close, forcing workers to plan for their own retirement, research shows the majority of consumers still trust their own judgement or that of family and friends for retirement planning.