Last September, the European Commission (EC)proposed a new rule that would increase transparency for over-the-counter (OTC) derivative transactions. The effects of such a proposal has created a stir among pension funds, who fear the decision creates yet another hurdle in their struggle to increase cover ratios. Other parties have pointed out the larger picture could be far more worrisome.

The consultation period for the second part of Switzerland’s structural reform of pensions ended on February 28. The regulator Federal Social Insurance Office (BSV) has received more than 300 responses from pension fund managers who have reviewed the proposals set forth for the governance and transparency of their funds.

IT WAS A MERE five years ago that Spain was the centre of an economic boom, supported by a real estate industry that lured Europeans to pieds-à-terre and a slice of the good life.

Those were the golden days. When Ireland, as holder of the EU presidency in 2004, had money to spare and hosted ceremonies across the country to welcome 10 new member states.

The Celtic Tiger commanded respect from its Eastern European neighbours, who were hoping to follow in its footsteps towards the beacon of EU development and gain a similar regional boom, helped by the union’s subsidies.

As if strasbourg isn’t rife with acronyms already, the European parliament has just approved an entire constellation of them. They are intended to replace existing acronyms, but the bodies behind these abbreviations will become a lot more powerful than their predecessors.

Are there any remarkable asset management stories from Germany these days?

Don’t German institutional investors, be they large insurance companies, smaller industry pension funds or savings banks investing their own money, fight the same problems – low bond yields and low-risk budgets – with a similar approach to their European colleagues?

The answer is ambiguous, even without paying too much attention to the truly remarkable heterogenous needs and regulations of German investors. On the one hand, one can observe that they are currently rushing into emerging markets and commodities, and are increasingly introducing exchange traded funds into their asset allocations.

Ever heard of the Dutch expression ‘panic football’ (paniekvoetbal) or, an equivalent, ‘sowing panic’ (paniekzaaien)? It’s respectively a game and a chore the domestic pensions sector claims the Dutch central bank (De Nederlandsche Bank – DNB) and social affairs minister Piet Hein Donner master perfectly. Brits call it scaremongering.

ME AND MY BIG MOUTH

EU commissioner Lásló Andor’s green paper on pensions states the doubling of the ratio of pensioners to workers in Europe over the next 50 years will result in financial armageddon if the union fails to work together to address the situation.

many european governments are in the process of raising retirement ages to pay for pensions and healthcare.

Anton van Nunen, a Dutch consultant, quite literally wrote the book on fiduciary management – the portfolio outsourcing strategy that has taken the Netherlands by storm, but which has so far seen a slow start in the UK. And he has finally said what’s been on people’s minds for some time.

If institutional investors such as pensions funds tend not to look more than 20 years into the future, are they really long-term investors?

Prospects for growth in developed markets are poor, and recovery is likely to be hampered by significant structural changes. Investors are now looking to emerging markets as a means of spreading risk.

Often the most exciting and promising elements of a festival or conference take place in the fringes. Take jokes (Edinburgh), couture (fashion week), or policies (annual party conferences); the best ones are frequently dreamed up and demonstr-ated in obscure backrooms while the goings-on in the highly polished main conference hall appear unsurprising, unambitious and, frankly, a bit of a let-down. Such was the case at the Copenhagen Summit, where ministers and officials met to discuss ways to cut carbon emission and renew the Kyoto Protocol, which runs out in 2012.

When a new EU directive for alternative asset managers was proposed this summer, it made London’s blood boil. Mayor Boris Johnson went over to Brussels in an attempt to quell the fear instilled in the City, which sees its future in danger with the strict regulations that are being proposed.

A group of UK pension funds are about to make a commingled £200m investment in US forestry. Roger Adams, investment director and fund manager at forestry investment firm FIM Services, would not divulge the names of the schemes, but did say that the money is due to be invested in 2010 as the schemes see it as an ideal time to enter the market.

Global revenue from climate change-related products and services increased by 75% to £324bn last year, according to HSBC’s recently published annual review of climate change indices.

Even though Michael Jackson may not have reached retirement himself, his recent passing has contributed to others realising their pension.

This month marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the UK’s first ethical investment fund. Over the years, companies have increasingly discovered that this approach to investing can not only yield concrete economic rewards in terms of increased profits and reduced costs; but that factors such as public opinion and the threat – and costs – of possible legal action also play a not insignificant part.

Change must be swift but not without support europeans are living longer and, as pensions systems creak under the weight of the downturn, one method of alleviating the situation is to extend working life. In the UK, the state pension age will rise from 65 to 68 by 2044.