Overview
- Labour Minister Bärbel Bas said on ARD she finds linking retirement eligibility to contribution years "basically good" after the coalition’s pension package cleared the Bundestag.
- Economist Jens Südekum floated the shift away from a fixed age, and Bild reported the coalition is exploring a 45‑year minimum as a possible threshold, with no decision taken.
- The BDA’s Steffen Kampeter rejected the idea as a rebranded 'Rente mit 63' and argued for indexing the retirement age to life expectancy.
- The government plans to convene a Rentenkommission in December to compare models based on contribution years versus life expectancy, with proposals targeted by mid‑2026.
- Opinion critics caution that counting only contribution years could disadvantage students and other late entrants to the workforce, raising fairness and legal concerns.