Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out changing the 48% pension level through 2031 but proposed an accompanying declaration and a sped‑up commission to promise broader reform after 2031.
- Lars Klingbeil of the SPD insisted the bill will not be altered, reinforcing that any concession would be limited to a political statement rather than legal text.
- Youth Minister Karin Prien called for postponing the Bundestag vote to extend cross‑generational talks on the system’s long‑term sustainability.
- The 18‑member Junge Gruppe threatens to withhold support over wording they interpret as keeping the pension level roughly one point higher after 2031, a step they estimate could cost about €120 billion.
- CSU leader Markus Söder backed keeping the coalition intact and urged talks with the SPD, as commentators warned the dispute is eroding Merz’s authority and the coalition’s narrow working majority.