Overview

• In a Spiegel interview, DIW president Marcel Fratzscher urged a compulsory social year for all retirees, arguing the contributor‑to‑pensioner ratio has fallen from six to soon about two and saying health exemptions would apply.
• He proposed deployments in care and health services and non‑combat support for defence, citing technical skills and experience of former Bundeswehr personnel.
• Social groups and unions labeled the idea disrespectful and divisive, and figures from AfD, the BSW, CDU’s Senioren‑Union and FDP vice chair Wolfgang Kubicki publicly rejected compulsory duties for seniors.
• Analyses in national media judged the proposal unlikely to secure a parliamentary majority and noted potential constitutional hurdles to mandating service.
• The Social Affairs Ministry offered no endorsement and pointed to a pension commission starting in early 2026, as this debate follows DIW’s July call for a targeted “Boomer‑Soli” on higher retirement incomes.