Cabinet in retreat: Merz speaks out on pension debate
By the end of the year, the government wants to push through its package of reforms. It does not want to be deterred from its course - not even by interjections from election campaigners from the states.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to push through a planned pension reform despite resistance from within his own party. The reform aims to end incentives for early retirement, and Merz has rejected a demand from three eastern German CDU state premiers to retain the option of a pension after 45 years of contributions without deductions.
The cabinet has presented a united front at a meeting in Neuhardenberg, with Merz calling for optimism and confidence in the future. The coalition faces challenging weeks ahead, with three state elections in September that could cause significant disruption.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
