Overview

• The governing Union-SPD coalition has confirmed it will not raise the statutory retirement age beyond 67 and will instead roll out a voluntary Aktivrente scheme.
• Under the Aktivrente proposals, retirees who continue working past 67 can earn up to €2,000 per month tax-free as an incentive to extend their careers.
• Key SPD figures including Dietmar Woidke and Lars Klingbeil and social welfare associations VdK and SoVD have reiterated their opposition to any mandatory age increase, demanding full voluntariness.
• An Insa poll shows around 73 percent of Germans support the Aktivrente, and nearly half say they would continue working into traditional retirement years under the incentive.
• Economic experts such as Bernd Raffelhüschen and employer representatives warn that demographic shifts and rising life expectancy necessitate longer work lives, with some advocating a future hike toward 70.