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Local moves

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-07-05 07:54

A joint program of the European Union and China concerned with social security modernization has had some beneficial results and has provided good experience in reforming China's system.

The EU-China Social Security Project (EUCSS) has been conducted in Beijing and five provinces, as follows:

Jilin

This northeastern province had about one-third of the EUCSS projects, mainly focused on building systemic capacity, province-level management of pension funds, pensions designed for rural people who have lost their land, medical information systems, medical insurance, and work injury recovery.

During the second stage of EUCSS, between 2008 and 2011, there were more than 60 training lessons, seminars, performance evaluations and lectures, with around 5,200 participants.

There were more than 40 experts and scholars taking part in these events, about half of them from the EU.

They helped the authorities compile at least six books on social security policies and regulations and operation procedures.

Beijing

The city has had close cooperation with the EUCSS team and its experts and they drew up a temporary regulation on applying for social security.

Afterwards European experts were asked to do a thorough study on fraudulent social security claims and the experts gave suggestions and insights into improving the regulation.

Revised regulations were implemented in September 2010.

The city government improved policies and regulations on pensions, medical insurance, and unemployment insurance and compiled manual that clarified social security details, with the help of EU experts.

The experts have given lectures to people involved in social security work to improve their understanding and professional skills.

Hunan

The EUCSS has explained standardized operation procedures and the care of elderly people.

The local EUCSS office organized 18 seminars, performance appraisals and training programs, during the second phase of the project, with more than 1,900 participants.

The project has helped Hunan improve its pension application procedures and develop a secure pension information system that allows it to increase efficiency.

The project has also helped promote care for the elderly, and thanks to the experts' help, the province has developed specific application requirements for pension funds, which is useful in avoiding fraudulent claims.

Shandong

The province's EUCSS office provided training materials on managing a social security system and on care for senior citizens.

It organized training programs to better explain pensions, medical care, and unemployment insurance. It also held seminars that focused on limiting work injuries and occupational disease prevention, in Jinan, the capital of Shandong.

EUCSS experts provided suggestions on Qingdao's rural pension system.

Gansu

The provincial EUCSS project dealt with improving social security operations, managing medical insurance, and post-injury rehabilitation.

Authorities have arranged 11 training programs for 3,061 people, nearly all the staff involved in the province's social security work. With the help of EUCSS experts, the province's social security system was substantially improved, especially in its file management and old people's pensions in rural areas.

They also helped increased exchange with other regions, with some of Gansu's social security staff visiting other provinces or even going abroad to learn from others' experiences.

Sichuan

The EUCSS office has been here since 2008, and has emphasized the care of retirees and social security access in rural areas.

One seminar specially designed for retirees in the city of Zigong, in March 2010, attracted representatives of 21 cities and counties. And four other meetings were held in the cities of Luzhou, Guanghan, Nanchong and Dazhou, from July 2010 to June 2011 to spread the use of a retiree-designed service package.

These efforts help to standardize services for retirees and improve the lives of locals.

(China Daily 07/05/2011 page10)