Economists are calling for the pension package to be implemented

In the dispute over the future of pensions, a remarkable number of economists of different stripes are speaking out - and are unanimously calling for the complete implementation of the pension package, as proposed by the government's pension commission. In a call available to SPIEGEL, they demand that the Pension Commission's recommendations be implemented "as a consistent package of measures," from later retirement and a stronger sustainability factor to the inclusion of other groups and a statutory capital pension. Only in the overall package will the reform have its “positive and stabilizing effect,” according to the embassy.

The signatories particularly sharply criticize the debate over early retirement without deductions, known as “pension at 63”. One of the pension commission's proposals is its abolition, but this is politically very controversial. It's not just many SPD politicians who want to preserve it. CDU Prime Ministers such as Michael Kretschmer from Saxony, among others, campaigned for this.

In their call, the economists criticize that this special regulation is expensive. Contrary to what was originally thought, higher earners, healthier people and men in particular benefited from this - while those who were actually in need often left empty-handed. In the future, the state should provide more targeted support to those who, for health reasons, are no longer able to work shortly before retirement or who cannot live on their pension despite many years of contributions. The Pension Commission proposed corresponding regulations for such hardship cases in its reform concept and submitted them to the federal government.

The idea of the “total work of art”

The experts insist on distributing the demographic burden more broadly: not only employees, employers and pensioners must make their contribution, but also politicians, civil servants, board members and the self-employed. Anyone who deletes individual components of the Commission's proposal must provide an "effective replacement," according to the paper. Otherwise, the entire concept threatens to collapse - with the result that the solution to the growing problems would be postponed again.

Given the aging population, economists already see old-age security as being “increasingly under pressure.” Any further postponement would be at the expense of the younger generations, who would already have to shoulder increasing burdens.