Johannes Winkel, chairman of the Junge Union (JU) and a member of the CDU, announced that a comprehensive pension reform would cut annual pension payments by more than €50 billion. He told the “Bild” (Monday issue) that pension increases should no longer be linked to wage growth but to inflation. “The IWF projects that by aligning pension adjustments with inflation alone, we could save up to €45 billion every year” Winkel said. “We must take this step”. He also called for the abolition of the €13 billion‑per‑year pension at age 63.
Winkel urged the SPD to abandon its resistance to a broad pension overhaul. “We urgently need to prepare for demographic change. The SPD’s policy is as if it doesn’t exist at all-this is far from reality” he stated.
