Overview
- The government bill would hold the statutory pension level at 48% through 2031 and keep it about one percentage point higher than current law thereafter.
- Chair Pascal Reddig says the roughly 18-member Young Group will not back the text as drafted, rejects Merz’s proposed nonbinding resolution, and urges postponement.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil rule out changes and press for passage in early December, with the Bundesrat set to meet on 19 December.
- The coalition’s majority is just 12 seats, so withholding votes by the Young Group could sink the bill, and talks led by Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch are underway to find a compromise.
- The Greens declare the package “completely inadequate,” critics cite added costs of about €115–118 billion by 2040, and economist Veronika Grimm warns of heavier burdens on younger generations; the draft also includes an Aktivrente, an expanded Mütterrente, higher contribution rates from 2028, and larger federal transfers.