Overview
- CDU-affiliated Wirtschaftsrat called for a consequent increase of the statutory retirement age beyond 67, citing demographic pressures and lessons from Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands.
- Labour Minister Bärbel Bas says Germany needs a whole new pension system but rejects a blanket rise in the retirement age, positioning the SPD against the CDU-linked push.
- A federal commission is currently examining options that include retirement-age rules, wider compulsory coverage of the self-employed and capital-funded elements after the coalition stabilized the replacement level in December.
- Comparisons with Austria highlight trade-offs: average gross pensions are higher there (about €1,646–€1,800 vs roughly €1,120 in Germany), supported by larger subsidies, a 22.8% contribution rate versus 18.6% and much broader mandatory coverage.
- Analysts note Austria’s 15-year minimum for entitlement would lift averages but could leave around 1.5 million contributors—about 80% women—without a pension, underscoring equity concerns in potential reforms.