Overview
- An expert pension commission recommended ending the abschlagsfreie Altersrente after 45 contribution years as one of 33 reform measures and the federal leadership has signalled it wants to press the package ahead.
- Seven minister‑presidents, including three East German CDU leaders and four SPD regional heads, now publicly oppose abolishing the benefit and together control 25 of the Bundesrat’s 69 votes.
- Union parliamentary leader Thorsten Frei has ruled out negotiating that element of the package while Labour Minister Bärbel Bas said she would consider reopening parts of the plan if the Union insists on keeping the benefit.
- The commission proposes replacing the broad early‑retirement rule with a targeted Schutzrente for people with medical limits, lowering qualifying years for hardship cases to about 35 and claiming large annual savings from the change.
- The law is still being drafted by the federal labour ministry with parliamentary debate planned after the summer and the government aiming for decisions by year‑end; keeping the 45‑year rule would require new financing or tradeoffs that could reshape other reform items.