Friedrich Merz, the CDU political leader, stated that he intends to fully adopt all the reform proposals put forward by the pension commission. Speaking on Tuesday after the commission delivered its final report at the Federal Chancellery, he emphasized that “all elements of this reform package must now be implemented swiftly.”
Merz stressed that the measures are interdependent, asserting, “We cannot allow ourselves to exclude or drop individual measures. The various steps build upon each other and balance out. They form a cohesive concept that only functions as a whole.” He confirmed that there is consensus within the coalition to “implement the package completely.”
While anticipating a wide-ranging public debate regarding the commission’s suggestions, Merz welcomed the discussion. He described the effort as a “generations project” that must be understood, debated, and ultimately supported by everyone involved, urging all responsible parties to guide this discussion “constructively.”
Bärbel Bas, the Federal Minister of Labour for the SPD, echoed this sentiment, stating that it is impossible to simply “pick the raisins out” of the reform package. However, Bas did acknowledge that while the framework is set, some specific regulations still require further development and refinement within the technical committees.
