Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Minister-President Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has rejected the idea of linking the retirement age to average life expectancy. Instead, she advocates for a system heavily oriented toward contribution years, as she told RTL and ntv.
“I believe coupling it to contribution years is the fairer approach,” she stated. According to this model, individuals who start working earlier should also be permitted to retire earlier. Furthermore, the SPD politician issued a strong warning against making cuts to pensions, which she already considers low, particularly within Eastern Germany. She declared that she “will not agree to proposals that lead to the reduction of pensions, which are already small, with an average of €1,300.”
Schwesig also dismissed the idea of generally raising the retirement age beyond 67, calling it “unrealistic,” especially for those working in skilled trades.
As a structural reform, Schwesig proposed extending the national statutory pension insurance scheme to include civil servants, the self-employed, and politicians, arguing this would ensure a fairer financial organization of the system.
