Companies across Europe begin to reorganise their pensions

As part of the general effort to tackle obstacles to employee mobility, companies across Europe are beginning to reorganise their pension schemes. Natasha Gunn looks at how a recent directive from the European Commission aims to facilitate the process. European graduate Maria was thrilled to accept a job offer with a European company shortly after her 21st birthday. Two years later, she was entitled to become a member of the organisation's pension scheme. At 27 Maria received a lucrative job offer from another organisation in another member state. However, there was a catch. Her first company's pension scheme contained a clause stating that an employee must be 30 to have built up pension rights. Maria was faced with the choice of pursuing a career opportunity but losing her pension rights — receiving back only her own contributions to the scheme, or staying on in her current position until she reached the qualifying age. Read more: Eurogates. Forum of education news