At the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) event, Friedrich Merz of the CDU again called for the abolition of the so-called “Pension at 63.” Merz argued that ending the possibility of drawing an unreduced early pension would make the overall retirement system fairer. “Going into retirement early, without deductions, when healthy and fit-that is neither fair nor can the pension insurance or our national economy afford it,” the party leader stated on Tuesday. He stressed that this inability to afford early retirement is particularly pressing given that fewer and fewer workers will be left to finance a growing number of retirees.
The removal of the “Pension at 63” remains one of the central sticking points in the planned pension reform. Although the Pension Commission favored ending the pension for individuals with particularly long insurance periods, there is significant opposition to this proposal, coming from various factions within the SPD and the Union. Furthermore, Alexander Schweitzer, the future Minister of Labour from the SPD who must implement the reform, has previously voiced opposition to parts of the recommendations put forward by the Age Security Commission.
