Overview
- The package passed 319–225 with 53 abstentions in a recorded vote, delivering Chancellor Friedrich Merz the absolute majority he demanded.
- Die Linke abstained as announced, a move that lowered the counted threshold because abstentions do not weigh against a simple majority.
- Core measures include holding the statutory pension level at 48% through 2031, expanding the Mütterrente for children born before 1992, a new Aktivrente with up to €2,000 a month tax‑free for continued work, and steps to strengthen company pensions.
- Intra‑Union dissent persisted, with seven CDU/CSU no votes and two abstentions, as younger MPs warned of long‑term costs beyond the government’s ~€11 billion projection for 2031 and cited scenarios exceeding €100 billion in the 2030s.
- If the Bundesrat approves on 19 December, the laws could take effect on 1 January 2026, and an appointed Rentenkommission is slated to propose broader reforms by mid‑2026.