The tax treatment of pensions and pension schemes is undergoing a period of rapid development across the European Union. Following publication of the European Commission Green Paper on Supplementary Pensions in the Single Market in June 1997, the Council adopted a Directive on safeguarding the supplementary pension rights of employed and self-employed persons moving within the Community (Council Directive 98/49/EC of 29 June 1998). This work aims to stimulate the debate in this area, both on a national and a European level. The importance of the European dimension is apparent from an analysis of the application of EC competition rules to pension funds, particularly those funds which are granted exclusive rights to provide benefits to supplement state social security systems. It is argued that increased competition in this sector is likely to benefit pension provision in the long term. Against a background overview of the different types of pension schemes in EU Member States, the book goes on to consider the question of harmonization of certain tax rules with respect to pensions.