The German government’s Eastern Commissioner, Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD), has spoken out against lowering the pension level from 2031. “For people in eastern Germany, there must be no reduction of the current pension level from 2031,” Kaiser told the Leipziger Volkszeitung and the Sächsische Zeitung. Otherwise, many face old-age poverty, as the statutory pension is the only basis of livelihood for most eastern Germans in old age.
Kaiser received support from Saxony’s Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU). He called for recognizing the life achievements of eastern Germans after reunification. Many had coped with company losses and career changes and helped rebuild the country. The warnings follow proposals from a pension commission appointed by the federal government, which envisions longer working lives, a stock market component, and a broader contribution base. The federal government wants to implement the proposals quickly.
Praise for the reform proposals came from Caritas. Eva Welskop-Deffaa emphasized that the commission is tackling several levers simultaneously in light of increased life expectancy and AI-related labor market shifts. She particularly welcomed the planned linkage of the retirement age to life expectancy as well as improvements in disability pensions. Criticism, however, came from DGB chief Yasmin Fahimi. She rejected the abolition of the pension at 63 and the increase of the retirement age, calling the claim that longer working is necessary to finance pensions “a legend to scare people.”
Source: www.zeit.de
