PENSION SYSTEM OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

Mirovinski sustav predstavlja granu socijalnog osiguranja temeljenu na generacijskoj solidarnosti koju provodi HZMO-a i individualnoj kapitaliziranoj štednji te se smatra iznimno bitnim dijelom socijalne sigurnosti. Važnost mirovinskog sustava počiva na tome da se on neposredno tiče jako velikog broja ljudi, te će ga gotovo svi građani koristiti. Do današnjeg mirovinskog sustava bilo je potrebno nekoliko reformi pa se tako tim reformama pristupa jako oprezno i s dugim promišljanjem. Prošlo je više od dvadeset godina od najvažnije reforme, stvaranja trostupnog mirovinskog sustava koji je i dalje na snazi. Godine 1999. je ujedinjen javni mirovinski sustav za radnike, obrtnike i poljoprivrednike. Zatim je dopunjen 2002. godine obveznim i dobrovoljnim mirovinskim osiguranjem koji se temelji na individualnoj kapitaliziranoj štednji, odnosno II.(drugi) i III.(treći) mirovinski stup. Prvi stup se naziva stupom generacijske solidarnosti te je s drugim stupom dio obveznog osiguranja. Treći stup je u potpunosti dobrovoljan. Ukupni iznos koji osiguranik izdvaja iz doprinosa čini 20% od vlastite bruto plaće gdje se 15% uplaćuje u prvi stup, a ostatak koji čini 5% izdvaja u drugi stup. Također osiguraniku ostaje mogućnost da cjelokupan iznos od 20% uplaćuje samo u prvi stup. Mirovinski sustav je osmišljen na način da se primarno financira od uplata iz doprinosa, a tek onda iz državnog proračuna. Međutim situacija u Republici Hrvatskoj je trenutno takva da se broj umirovljenika konstantno povećava i otežava sustav u kojem bi uplate iz doprinosa trebale financirati isplatu mirovina. Mirovinski sustav sve više počinje ovisiti o financijskoj pomoći države i sustav postaje ne održiv.The pension system represents a branch of social security based on generational solidarity which is conducted by the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund (HZMO) and individual capitalized savings and it is considered very important part of social security. The importance of the pension system rests on the fact that it directly affects larger number of people and most likley all citizens will use it. Until the form of pension system is today, several reforms were needed, so these reforms are aproached very cautiosly and with good consideration. More than twenty years have passed since the most important reform, the creation of three-tier pension system that is till this day still in force. In 1999., the public pension system was unified for workers, artisan and farmers. It was then suplemente din 2002 with mandatory and voluntary pension insurance based on individual capitalized savings, regarding the II. (second) and the III. (third) pension pillars. The first pillar is called the pillar of generational solidarity and, together with the second pillar, is part of compulsory insurance. The third pillar is entirely voluntary. The total amount that the insured person allocates from the contribution is 20% of his own gross salary, where 15% is paid into the first pillar, and the rest, which is 5%, is allocated to the second pillar. The insured person also has the option to pay the entire amount of 20% only in the first pillar. The pension system is designed in such a way that it is primarily financed from contributions and only then from the state budget. However, the situation in the Republic of Croatia is currently such that the number of people in retiremen is constantly increasing, which aggravates the system in which payments from contributions should finance the payment of pensions. The pension system is becoming increasingly dependent on financial assistance from the state and the system is becoming unsustainable