Merz calls pensions a 'basic safety net'—but is reform coming?
Berlin. The German government intends to stick to its timeline for the pensions commission despite the controversial pension remarks made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU).
"We have repeatedly stated that we expect the commission's findings by the end of June," a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Labor told the dts news agency on Wednesday. "And from there, political action will follow."
At the annual reception of the Association of German Banks (Bundesverband deutscher Banken, BdB), the chancellor had declared that statutory pension insurance would in future serve only as a basic safety net. However, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius rejected the notion that Merz's statement preempted the commission's work. "This was a single remark—not a framework—and it does not preempt any outcome," he told dts.
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