The Mounting Burden of Supporting the Elderly -- Two Different Pension Schemes -- Reform of General Basic Pension Schemes in Europe -- The “Ideal” Civil Service Pension Scheme -- Pre-funding Versus Pay-as-you-go Financing of Civil Service Pension Costs -- Special Occupational Pension Scheme for Civil Servants -- Benefit-defined or Contribution-defined Occupational Pension Promise

To build professional public administrations, central and eastern European countries must adequately remunerate those working in the administration. One aspect of remuneration is pensions. Thus, as these countries reform their general basic pension systems in response to demographic trends and state budget concerns, they might want to develop specialised pension schemes for civil servants. These special schemes are different from, or supplementary to, the state’s general basic pension schemes. In preparing reforms, comparative experiences from European Union (EU) Member States can help to clarify national needs and highlight possible strategies related to introduction of the pension schemes for civil servants.