Education and Employment in the European Union

Dimitris Chorafas argues that European educational standards, from primary schools through to universities, leave much to be desired. He then turns to employment. Already affected by problems with education, employment is fettered by structural issues, ranging from inflexible labour laws to heavy social costs. Here, Dimitris suggests what might be done to get employment moving again in difficult economic times. Employment and pensions work in synergy. In the final part, Chorafas examines the implications of and future for pension provision, taking a polyvalent approach which embraces state pensions, company pensions and the workings of pension funds - as well as healthcare issues and the longevity risk.