Overview
- Coalition talks have moved to concrete negotiations over raising the 45-year rule for an abschlagsfreie Rente—options under discussion include 46 or 47 contributory years and tighter rules on which periods count.
- A reported Federal Ministry working draft would also recast the timing of the Schwerbehindertenrente for cohorts born from 1970, a change that would delay access for those insured after that year.
- Three East German CDU minister‑presidents have threatened to block reform in the Bundesrat if protections for their regions are removed, signaling the dispute has become a federal legislative obstacle.
- Government modelling shows a person with 45 full-time years at a gross monthly wage of €2,672 would receive only about €1,024 per month, a figure used by reformers to argue for cost control and redistribution.
- Negotiations are producing pushback from unions and social groups and proposals from academics for alternatives such as a Zuschlag system that rewards continued work rather than removing early full-pension rules; any changes remain unfinalised legislation.