Cabinet retreat: Merz rejects proposal for "pension at 63"
During the summer break, there was widespread discussion about the future of early retirement without deductions. The Chancellor wants to stick to its abolition.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected a proposal by eastern German CDU prime ministers to keep the early retirement scheme with no deductions after 45 years of contributions. The proposal was made by Sven Schulze of Saxony-Anhalt, Michael Kretschmer of Saxony, and Mario Voigt of Thuringia, and was also supported by some SPD prime ministers.
Merz stated that the government has agreed to end all incentives for early retirement, citing the need to stop the trend of early retirement in an ageing society. He expressed confidence that he can convince the prime ministers to support this decision, which he believes is in the interest of the states, particularly those in the east with lower workforce potential. The decision on the proposal will be made in the autumn.
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.
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- Commentary: Merz says what few people want to hear handelsblatt.com
