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1h ago

Young Union Defies Pension Deal, Putting Merz’s Year-End Vote at Risk

The coalition’s narrow majority is in doubt for the December vote after young Union lawmakers reaffirmed their no, backed by a leading government adviser.

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Kanzler Merz hat sich trotz des Widerstands der Jungen Union zuversichtlich zu einem baldigen Parlamentsbeschluss zum Rentenpaket gezeigt. "Wir gehen davon aus, dass wir das Rentenpaket, so wie wir es in der Koalition geplant haben, noch in diesem Jahr verabschieden werden", sagte er.
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Overview

  • Young Group leader Pascal Reddig says the bill is not acceptable in its current form, calls for a postponement, and rejects a nonbinding resolution as insufficient.
  • Friedrich Merz insists on passage by year-end to launch the Aktivrente on January 1, 2026, with a Bundestag vote planned for early December and a Bundesrat session on December 19, while Jens Spahn predicts an agreement.
  • Labour Minister Bärbel Bas warns that failure would fuel unrest in the coalition and argues the Union rebels are endangering the government’s stability.
  • Economist Veronika Grimm backs the critics, warning a higher pension level beyond 2031 shifts burdens to younger generations and urging cost-dampening reforms such as a higher retirement age and more private saving.
  • The package would lock in at least a 48 percent pension level through 2031 and a higher starting point thereafter, with critics citing roughly €115–€120 billion in extra costs by 2040 as the Greens oppose the bill and the Left signals conditional support.