By Euronews
Published on
In the dispute over the German government’s pension reform package, Chancellor Friedrich Merz took a clear stance on Sunday, backing the draft legislation – and thus opposing the Junge Union youth wing of his party.
While the party’s new generation rejects the reform package, Merz defended the government’s plans.
“Yes, I will vote in favour of this pension package with a clear conscience when it comes to a vote in the German Bundestag,” said Merz at the Junge Union’s Germany Day in Rust, southern Baden.
He justified this by saying that the reform was only the prelude to a more comprehensive debate on fundamental changes in the welfare state. The reorganisation of the pension system must take place during this legislative period, which has already been agreed within the coalition.
Merz also emphasised in his speech that there would be no cooperation of any kind between his party and the AfD. “Not because there is a firewall – forget that word! We are worlds apart from this party,” he explained. “We have nothing in common with them.”
Controversial pension reform bill
The 18 members of parliament from the Junge Union (the Young Group) had already made it clear in October that they would not be voting in favour of the pension package in its current form.
Their central point of criticism: according to the draft by Labour Minister Bärbel Bas, additional costs of 120 billion euros would be incurred between 2032 and 2040.
The Junge Union’s criticism is that this goes beyond what was agreed in the coalition agreement. They had only agreed to stabilise the pension level initially until 2031 – no longer.
It became clear on Saturday: Merz stands behind the pension package of Labour Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) – and thus disappoints the Junge Union.
The very group within the CDU and CSU that had previously been among his most important supporters. Without the JU, association leader Johannes Winkel recalled on Friday evening, Merz would neither have become CDU chairman nor Federal Chancellor.
The Junge Union had hoped that Merz would renegotiate the pension package – after all, he had been signalling this to them for a long time. But in Rust, he clearly rejected these expectations.
Merz: “We won’t win elections with this”
Merz appealed to the delegates to get involved in the debate – “but please don’t just say what won’t work”. He rejected a political underbidding contest in which everyone outbid each other to see who could offer the lowest pension level. “That, dear friends, will not win us any elections.”
Kevin Gniosdorz, state chairman of the Junge Union in North Rhine-Westphalia, reminded Merz that they were “playing as a team”. Just as the JU had always “stood by Merz’s side”, he must now also “stand by the side of the Junge Union”.
Another delegate referred to Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, who at the same time confirmed at the SPD state party conference in Ulm that there would be no changes to the pension package. He calls on Merz to remind his Vice-Chancellor of “the Chancellor’s authority to issue directives”.
Pascal Reddig, Chairman of the Young Group in the Bundestag, made it unmistakably clear that the Young Group will stand by its No to the pension package: “You can count on it: We will stand firm on this issue.”
The delegates thanked him with a standing ovation and loud, rhythmic applause.
The Young Group’s No to the pension package therefore remains. The conflict that originally arose between the young CDU/CSU MPs and SPD Social Affairs Minister Bärbel Bas has developed into an open dispute with the Chancellor.
The young CDU/CSU MPs can also rely on support from other socio-politically orientated groups within the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. At the last meeting of the Young Group in Berlin, around 30 other CDU/CSU MPs showed their solidarity.
This would make a majority in favour of the pension package almost impossible to achieve – and a government crisis unstoppable.