Fulda University of Applied Sciences
Prof. Dr. Stamatia Devetzi studied law in Athens, Rome and Osnabrück, has a diploma in law from the Law Faculty of University of Athens (1994) and a PhD from Osnabrück University (1998). After working as a legal expert with the German Pensions Insurance Institution (1998-2003), in 2003 she became professor of Social Security Law in Fulda. From 2011-2016 she was delegated as professor for Public Law and European Social Security Law at Osnabrück University. She has been active in teaching and research in the fields of Social Security, European Law and Law Comparison for over 20 years. She is member of the advisory board of FNA (Research Institute of the German Pensions Insurance) and of FIS (Network for Interdisciplinary Research on Social Policy, funded by the German Ministry of Labour), and member of the editorial board of the European Journal of Social Security.
As we enter the critical years of an ageing population, it is actually five minutes to midnight to reform the pension system if we want to ensure adequate pensions for current and future generations. The affordability of the pension system as it stands today is under pressure, and it seems as if the population, young and old, is not sufficiently aware of the consequences the status quo might have on their standard of living. There is also strong social resistance to pension reforms that are perceived as unbalanced.
In Belgium, as in other European countries, the debate on financing intergenerational solidarity has been going on for several decades, and a reasonably balanced proposal for pension reform was already drawn up by the Pension Reform Commission, which, however, remained dead letter.
A healthy public debate about important societal challenges requires a common and scientifically sound basis.