GP was confused probably. In EU when we hear a "pension plan" we usually think "social security", since we* pay a significant part of our earnings for this, so this is something we definitely count on and, at least in theory, it should be enough for good retirement (in practice it really varies). Many countries also have mandatory private plans that companies have to pay for, but I think people* think of them as "something extra on top" instead of the main retirement source.

*Asterisk because EU is big and diverse, and I don't know every country rules.