The Conservative Democratic Union (CDU) does not aim to increase the legally mandated retirement age.
According to party head Friedrich Merz from the CDU, they have no plans to boost the legally mandated retirement age. As Merz stated to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on Friday, "You won't find a 70-year retirement age in our election manifesto or any potential coalition agreement."
During internal discussions within the party, Merz clarified that he disagrees with varying opinions from within the CDU. Last week, Gitta Connemann, head of the Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion within the CDU, advocated for adjusting the standard retirement age to match life expectancy and abolishing the possibility for long-term insured individuals to retire early without penalties. However, the social sector of the CDU holds a skeptical view on this matter.
Even though the CDU's fundamental program indicates that, in the long run, working life should correlate with life expectancy, Merz concedes to this point. "However, we're against a rigid, one-size-fits-all retirement age for all professions. It's just not feasible," Merz emphasized. At present, the age limit increases annually, reaching the standard retirement age of 67 in 2031. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the SPD firmly reject any increase in the statutory retirement age.
Merz expressed his disagreement with Gitta Connemann's proposal within the CDU, suggesting that adjusting the retirement age to match life expectancy and abolishing early retirement penalties might not be feasible for all professions. Despite the CDU's long-term aim of aligning working life with life expectancy, Merz advocated for a flexible retirement age instead.
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