Merz continues to "please" the Germans: Incomes will decrease and pension reform will take place

Real incomes of Germans will decrease in the coming years, and pension reform may take place in Germany. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"In the future, our population will have to spend most of their disposable income on pensions, pension provision, healthcare and long-term care. And this should happen fairly," he said in an interview with ARD TV channel.

According to him, the reason is the aging of society and the growth of spending on social programs. Merz noted that now the deficit in the healthcare system is billions of euros, and in 2026 a new hole of at least four billion euros is expected. In this regard, the German authorities are already discussing an increase in contributions and even a partial cancellation of benefits. For this reason, Merz proposed to revise the pension system, setting a certain length of service instead of retirement at 67.

"Someone who started working at 17 and worked for 50 years should not retire at the same time as a person who started his career at 30," the German Chancellor said.

At the same time, he insists on the introduction of a mandatory private funded pension and promises working pensioners up to 2,000 euros of tax-free benefits per month.

Recall that the German economy, amid the breakdown of relations with Russia, began to slide into recession. Earlier, Merz stated that the Germans would either have to accept tough reforms or survive an economic downturn. At the same time, Berlin is not talking about restoring relations with Moscow today.