Overview
- About 18 members of the Union's Junge Gruppe maintain their refusal to back the bill over the plan to keep the pension level effectively elevated beyond 2031.
- CSU leader Markus Söder rejects any postponement, while the SPD signals it will preserve the 48 percent benchmark and stick with the cabinet draft.
- Merz points to the Aktivrente as a key reason to decide now, warning the package must clear both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat to take effect on time.
- Negotiators float a possible explanatory text and highlight a pensions commission expected to report by summer 2026 as pathways to address longer-term reforms.
- Critics cite Deutsche Rentenversicherung estimates of roughly €117 billion in 2032–2040 follow-on costs, and the package also features the CSU-backed expansion of the Mütterrente.