At a meeting of the Eurogroup on 20 March, euro area finance ministers discussed benchmarking as a tool to provide impetus for reforms in the area of pension sustainability. The finance ministers noted that significant progress has been achieved in improving pension sustainability in the euro area, but that considerable risks remain in many Member States. The Eurogroup agreed, therefore, to benchmark the fiscal sustainability of euro area Member States’ pension systems against the best performers in the euro area according to commonly agreed indicators. The indicators measure the gap to a sustainable fiscal position, including the impact of pension spending. These benchmarks are measurable and under the control of policy makers. In order to have a comprehensive and balanced view, the benchmarks will be complemented by two other indicators: the comparative level and evolution of the legal and effective retirement age, and the coverage ratio and the pension benefit ratio. The Eurogroup will conduct this benchmarking exercise every three years starting in 2018, within the context of existing processes and surveillance mechanisms, in particular the Ageing Reports and the assessment of the Stability Programmes.