Four new Flash Reports prepared by the European Social policy Network (ESPN) are now available and provide information on social protection developments in Bulgaria, Iceland and Norway.

• Major legislative changes have recently been introduced in the Bulgarian pension system to make pension funds more sustainable. Some of them (such as the higher retirement age, higher social security contributions, or the possibility to shift funds between the state pension fund and private pension funds) are quite controversial and have been widely criticised.
• In June 2015, the Icelandic Minister of Social and Housing Affairs submitted a proposal for a new housing benefit to parliament. The aim of the new benefit is to increase the income support for people living in rented accommodation, so that it becomes comparable to the support given to homeowners.
• Norwegian employers will no longer be able to dismiss older workers once they reach the age of 70. Standard employment protection in Norway has been extended to the age of 72 in an attempt to foster longer working lives and adapt to the recent pension reform. The government has expressed its intention to raise this age limit further.
• Also in Norway, making partial sick leave the default option in sickness absence cases is seen as a key instrument to reduce the rate and volume of sickness absence, and also to preclude labour market exclusion for people with health problems. This measure was introduced in 2004, and has been adjusted several times during the last decade. This evolution brings about high hopes for social inclusion.