The Green parliamentary group’s deputy leader, Andreas Audretsch, accused Prime Minister Friedrich Merz (CDU) of seeking to weaken the statutory pension system.
“Revisiting the pension level is, first and foremost, a political act that would leave older women less secure” he told the broadcasters RTL and ntv. “That must not happen. Dropping the pension level would mean more old‑age poverty in Germany – it is not a solution”. Merz had previously announced that private and company‑based pensions should gain a much larger share of retirement financing, both being capital‑based.
Audretsch said the statutory pension scheme would remain the core of the system, but called for fundamental reforms. “For example, everyone should contribute. It is a substantial problem that some MPs still do not pay into the pension scheme. We need far more fairness”.
To strengthen private retirement, the Greens propose a publicly run citizen fund modeled on Sweden’s system. “Those who do not wish to participate can still private‑secure themselves, but it offers an alternative to the failed Riester pension” they said. Confidence in the Riester option has eroded, and people simply stopped contributing. A “brand‑new start” in private retirement is therefore required.
“A public fund with low entry fees, reliability, and government backing that delivers good returns – that is how we can, with one stroke, bring the capital‑based pillar up to speed” Audretsch argued. He noted that the Union has yet to present a substantial proposal for reforming the capital‑based pension system.
