As negotiations continue regarding the plan by the main coalition parties to abolish the “Rente mit 63” (pension at age 63), there is growing discussion about necessary adjustments to address difficult circumstances. Dirk Wiese, the parliamentary manager for the SPD faction in the Bundestag, warned in the publication “Die Welt” against completely undoing the pension package. Nevertheless, he stressed the importance of finding “at least one clear and definite regulation for unavoidable cases.” Wiese cited long-term shift workers in the steel and metal industries as a prime example of such a group. Furthermore, he called for strong protection of trust for individuals who are currently 58 or 59 years old and who had originally planned to retire without a penalty after contributing for 45 years. He suggested that this matter should be thoroughly debated during the parliamentary process.
Marc Biadacz, a social expert from the CDU, expressed openness to renegotiations. He stated that the CDU would discuss future access to disability pensions with the SPD during the parliamentary procedure, emphasizing that practical regulations are needed for people who must leave the workforce prematurely due to health reasons.
Meanwhile, the AfD insisted on maintaining the “Rente mit 63.” Ulrike Schielke-Ziesing, a pension politician for the party, argued that anyone who has worked for 45 years should be able to retire without cost deductions. The fact that the CDU state premiers in Eastern Germany have recently taken a position against abolishing “Rente mit 63” is seen as understandable given the upcoming state elections, although critics dismiss this as mere electoral puffery. Sarah Vollath, a pension politician for the Left Party, told “Die Welt” that the Union and SPD’s intention to abolish the pension benefit after 45 years of insurance contributions is wrong and disrespectful to hard-working people. However, she worried that they might merely be using the topic for “cheap campaigning” to win votes across the East, echoing similar strategies used by some members of the SPD.
The Green Party advocated for stability and the preservation of the current pension level. Andreas Audretsch, a deputy faction leader for the Greens, warned that lowering the pension level would lead to old-age poverty, particularly for women and many people in the East. He insisted that everyone who has planned their retirement must be able to rely on stability. In the medium term, a reform is needed to ensure that those who can no longer work due to health issues can continue to retire early without penalties. He added that decades of contributions deserve this reliability.
