Social insurance

Sweden and Australia are entering into negotiations on a bilateral social security agreement. The agreement will enable closer cooperation with Australia and facilitate the mobility of people and business between the two countries.

Demographic changes in Europe are having an immense impact on our societies and entail challenges, not least for the labour market, pension systems and an increased need for health and social care. The Swedish Presidency has invited EU Member States and other actors to a high-level meeting on active and autonomous ageing, 13 –14 February, where they will discuss how to tackle the issues related to Europe’s ageing population. Minister for Older People and Social Security Anna Tenje will host the conference. Among the participants will be the Estonian Minister of Social Protection, the Danish Minister for Senior Citizens, and the Minister for Active Ageing from Malta.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the whole world and represents a global challenge the likes of which we have not seen for decades. All affected countries are now trying to solve the crisis with as few negative consequences as possible for people’s lives and health.

The agreement coordinates the Swedish and Japanese public old-age, survivors’ and disability pensions systems (for Sweden, sickness and activity compensation), and governs whether a person must be insured for such benefits in Sweden or Japan. As the agreement coordinates the Swedish and Japanese regulatory frameworks, individuals will not lose their accrued social insurance rights, primarily pension rights, when they move between the two countries.

In the social security area, the immediate effect of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is that central EU legal provisions will no longer apply. To prevent any acute consequences, the Government is planning to take measures that will primarily mitigate the effects that may arise for individuals during the initial period after the withdrawal. The proposals aim to allow a period of adjustment.

Sweden has a fundamentally sound pension system, whose unique design attracted much international attention when it was adopted in the 1990s. Several countries, inspired by the Swedish pension system, have now reformed their own. The fact that the pension system is outside the government budget and pays out exactly as much in pensions as money is available for makes the pension system financially sustainable, which means that there is no risk of rolling over debt to future generations. This, combined with political stability — a large majority of Riksdag members backed the system — paves the way for secure pensions.

This pilot study provides a practical overview and compilation of known information and knowledge concerning the premium pension.

Creating a pension system is a major task, and fundamentally redesigning an already established general pension system is difficult. Such efforts require much determination, ingenuity and broad support to succeed. The reformation of the Swedish pension system was characterised by a spirit of cooperation and a willingness to compromise that, in an international perspective, defined Swedish policies in the 1900s, and is often seen as being characteristic of the Swedish model.

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, list of issues in relation to the sixth periodic report of Sweden.