Overview
- At the Junge Union congress in Rust, Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged constructive input, warned against a “race to the lowest pension level,” and said he would support the government bill with a clear conscience.
- Merz challenged the youth wing’s cost claims of roughly 115–120 billion euros by 2040, predicting their calculations will prove inaccurate due to a broader reform the coalition plans to advance.
- JU delegates unanimously passed a resolution telling the Union parliamentary group to reject the bill in its current form, and Junge Gruppe leader Pascal Reddig vowed the 18 young MPs will not back down.
- The disputed provision would keep the pension level near 48 percent beyond 2031; the youth faction says that exceeds the coalition deal and shifts costs to younger workers, a stance the SPD rejects.
- The coalition’s majority is reported at about twelve seats, so a unified no from the 18 MPs could sink the measure, with ministers citing coalition constraints and a forthcoming reform commission as the venue for deeper changes.