A group of financial associations — including PensionsEurope — has written to the European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen to call for the new Commission to ensure that the global competitiveness of European financial services is a key objective in its policymaking. 

The associations fully support the Commission’s objectives of preserving and improving financial stability, protecting savers and investors, and ensuring flows of capital to where it is needed. Indeed, the need to maintain a robust regulatory framework for the financial sector and the Commission’s ambition to promote Europe’s competitiveness on the global stage are two sides of the same coin. 

The associations also called on the Commission to: 

• Ensuring an international level playing field and focus on eliminating the potential for any regulatory arbitrage between Europe and other jurisdictions that could create competitive disadvantages for European companies. 
• Continue working with the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to ensure compliance with the existing inter-institutional agreement on better law-making. When carrying out impact assessments, impact analysis should also be done with global competitiveness in mind.
• Rigorously implement the “one in — one out” approach to regulation proposed by the new Commission. The compliance burden and risks for the EU financial services industry increased considerably during the last Commission’s mandate, mainly due to EU texts being developed in silos and without recognising that multiple EU texts might apply at the same time at the point of sale, creating overload and duplication, which in turn impacts global competitiveness considerably.
• Acknowledge that a globally competitive and vibrant European financial services industry is vital for making the Capital Markets Union a reality. 

The PensionsEurope Secretariat is currently looking for a Director/Associate Director, Marketing.

PensionsEurope, the voice for workplace pensions and other funded pensions in Europe, is looking for a Director/Associate Director to join its Brussels secretariat. We represent 24 national associations of pension funds in EU Member States and other European countries. PensionsEurope, through its members, covers pensions of over 110 million Europeans and represents more than € 4 trillion in assets. PensionsEurope also has 26 Corporate and Supporter Members which are various service providers and stakeholders that work with pension funds.

This position is new in PensionsEurope and the purpose is to increase membership and develop revenue income as well as improve visibility and reputation of PensionsEurope.

The Director/Associate Director is responsible for membership recruitment, retention and relations management, sponsor acquisition and sponsor relations for e.g. our Annual Conference and other events as well as other commercial activities to generate income. The Director/Associate Director is expected to represent PensionsEurope in various events and manage the marketing and communication activities of PensionsEurope.

A successful candidate will have substantial experience in developing membership marketing, communications and plans that meet business objectives. He/she can demonstrate experience in operating at a senior level in a complex organisation and building and maintaining effective relationships and engagement. The candidate should have demonstrable commercial sales and business development experience, preferably in a membership, not-for-profit or third sector organisation. As the Director/Associate Director will need to represent PensionsEurope in various events knowledge of current pension and financial services issues would be desirable.

The Director/Associate Director will report directly to the Secretary General/CEO.

This new position in PensionsEurope will be filled for a fixed term to be agreed.

The deadline for applications is Friday 27 March 2020.

Please send your CV and cover letter in English to the attention of Mr. Matti Leppälä, Secretary General/CEO at: info@pensionseurope.eu or by regular mail to PensionsEurope, Montoyerstraat 23 rue Montoyer, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. For further information please contact the Secretariat at +32 2 289 14 14.

PensionsEurope has answered to EIOPA’s consultation concerning technical advice, implementing and regulatory technical standards for the Pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP). You can find our answer here, and our press release here