More recently, we made some major changes to our public pension system, to better prepare for the inevitable pressures that will develop as our population ages. This meant some restructuring of benefits and a sharp increase in contributions—moves that were not popular, but were certainly necessary.
But of course the long-term sustainability of public finances in Europe and around the world must not be undermined. Fiscal measures should not conflict with long-term goals of growth policy like in the Lisbon Strategy; this point is heavily emphasized in the European Economic  1  Olivier Blanchard, Antonio Spilimbergo, Steve Symansky and Carlo Cottarelli (2008).