Wolfgang Steiger, the General Secretary of the CDU Economic Council, has called for the abolishment of several pension benefits and demanded a fundamental reorientation of retirement security policies. Speaking to newspapers from the Funke media group, Steiger stated that this includes eliminating costly expansions such as the basic pension, the mother’s pension, and the pension at age 63, as well as tying the official retirement age to increasing life expectancy. According to him, only in this way can the balance between contributors and pension recipients be stabilized in the long run.
The Economic Council insists that pension policy must once again focus on sustainability. Steiger argued, “Instead of continuous new strains, we finally need a noticeable relief for contributors and taxpayers.” He stressed that the statutory social security systems face “enormous challenges” due to demographic changes, making it impossible for Germany to “afford additional pension gifts.”
Steiger took a particularly hard line against early retirement options. He demanded that “all early retirement incentives must be eliminated,” adding that there should be no recurrence of the pension at age 63 under different names. He reasoned that those who start working early are already “adequately compensated with the pension points they earn.” The Economic Council rejects any early retirement schemes financed by other contributors.
In contrast, Steiger advocated for expanding private savings. He explained that “the statutory pension insurance alone will not be able to meet the challenges of the coming decades.” Therefore, he argued, self-managed, capital-backed retirement provision must be strengthened.
Looking ahead to the long term, Steiger warned about rising social contributions. “Germany needs a 180-degree turnaround in pension policy and in social systems,” he stated. Without reforms, social contributions could rise to as high as 50 percent by 2035. He warned that if the governing coalition continues to move in the wrong direction by adding pension costs, “the business location will suffer heavily, capable citizens will become demotivated, young people will be driven out of the country, and foreign skilled workers will be deterred.”
These comments come at a time when pensions are a key subject of intense debate. A pensions commission established by the federal government is currently advising on possible reform options for retirement security. Furthermore, the CDU/CSU coalition has announced plans to introduce comprehensive pension reforms to stabilize the system in the face of demographic changes over the long term.
