
2 months · 3 summary articles
Germany's pension commission proposes raising retirement age and ending Minijobs
Germany's pension commission proposes raising retirement age to 64 and boosting replacement rate to 70
Germany's pension reform sparks fierce backlash before vote
Germany’s Rentenkommission has delivered a sweeping reform blueprint that would lock in decades of change to the pension system, including a statutory target of at least 70 per cent of net pre-retirement earnings, higher contribution rates and a phased rise in the standard retirement age to 64—even with early-exit penalties. The 33-point plan, published on Monday, 22 June 2026, is designed to stabilise public finances while shifting more risk to individuals through expanded capital-funded pillars and stricter rules on partial retirement.
Under the proposals, the normal retirement age would climb from today’s 63 to 64, with actuarially reduced benefits available for those who leave earlier. The commission also calls for the abolition of the current “Altersteilzeit” model that allows workers to step down at 55, replacing it with flexible part-time arrangements that do not trigger early-retirement discounts. Minijob holders—currently exempt from social-security contributions—would face mandatory contributions to build entitlements, a move intended to curb old-age poverty.
The draft sets a lifetime earnings target of 70 per cent of final net pay, up from today’s roughly 48 per cent replacement rate, financed by a combination of higher payroll taxes, longer working lives and expanded private retirement savings. The commission’s four-pillar architecture includes a strengthened pay-as-you-go system, mandatory employer top-ups, voluntary occupational plans and a new state-subsidised “Aktienrente” that would channel a portion of contributions into diversified equity funds. “The compound-interest effect is the real game-changer,” argues a *Handelsblatt* editorial, noting that even modest annual contributions can deliver outsized returns over decades .
Political reaction is already fractious. The SPD’s youth wing, the Jusos, condemned the blanket age hike as unjust, while Bild’s political editor argued that “the Union side appears to have prevailed” against internal SPD and union resistance . Green Party rebels are pushing alternative models that would front-load redistribution and expand public-sector pensions, risking a party split ahead of next year’s federal vote.
The commission’s report lands as the coalition scrambles for a pre-summer-pause signal of competence. “This package is part of a larger deal—there will be side payments,” said *Politico* correspondent Rasmus Buchsteiner . Legislative timetables remain fluid, but the direction is clear: more work, higher contributions and tighter early-retirement rules to keep Germany’s pay-as-you-go system solvent through the 2050s.
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