Merz outlines firm rejection of CDU's retirement proposal at age 70
In the event of a government seizure, the CDU has proposed swiftly elevating the retirement age, aligning it with average lifespan. This proposition, criticized sharply by the CDU's Social Wing, suggests the standard retirement age should correspond with life expectancy. CDU leader Merz, as well as others, have expressed opposition to this idea.
CDU head, Friedrich Merz, has firmly rejected the calls for an increase in the retirement age within his party. He declared that such an age of 70 will not feature in the party's election program or any coalition contract with them. The topic has been extensively discussed in party committees.
Merz underscored that while long-term, the working life should be related to life expectancy, he is against a rigid, universal retirement age for all professions, asserting it would not be feasible.
Recently, the CDU's Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion head, Gitta Connemann, advocated for such an increase. She suggested this alignment should be included in both the government program and the basic program. If they were to govern, she stressed they would have to pass this correlation during the subsequent legislative period. The possibility of individuals eligible for long-term insurance retiring two years earlier prematurely should also be abolished.
CDU's Social Wing raises concerns about election victory
Concurrently, resistance from the CDU's Social Wing, CDA, has emerged against the Mittelstandsvereinigung's demands for a higher retirement age. Dennis Radtke, chairman of the CDA North Rhine-Westphalia, warned of the Tagesspiegel, "We now have a societal consensus for a retirement age of 67. Persistently reviving debates about intensifications will yield no results."
Radtke affirmed that within the CDA, there will be no flat retirement age of 70, and the minimum pension will not be reduced below 48 percent. He identified the demands from the CDU's economic wing as a potential threat to their victory in the 2025 Bundestag election.
Currently, the age limit incrementally increases by two months yearly, reaching 67 years in 2031. Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil of the SPD opposes a higher age limit.
Social Association advocates for reformed basic pension
The Social Association VdK is also against raising the retirement age. VdK President Verena Bentele argued, "Nowadays, new ideas are being churned out daily to persuade pensioners to continue working. In the process, those who can't work longer are overlooked."
Advocating for reformed basic pension, a higher disability pension, and enhanced pensions for caregivers, Bentele emphasized, "The government should guarantee a good and secure pension for all after they retire. Only those who genuinely want to should continue working. Old-age poverty should not hinge on personal failure."
CDU's Social Wing is concerned that advocating for a higher retirement age could be a threat to the party's victory in the 2025 Bundestag election. Despite the proposed alignment of retirement age with life expectancy, CDU head Friedrich Merz has firmly rejected the idea of a universal retirement age of 70.
