Berlin SPD leader Krach advocates for keeping "Rente mit 63"

Berlin's SPD leader, Steffen Krach, is urging the retention of the "Rente mit 63" policy, which allows individuals to retire without penalty after 45 years of contributions. Krach stated that abolishing this provision, as planned by the federal government, would be unfair.

His position aligns with that of several eastern German state leaders, including Michael Kretschmer (Saxony), Sven Schulze (Saxony-Anhalt), and Mario Voigt (Thuringia), all from the CDU. These leaders have openly opposed recommendations from the pension commission to end the early retirement option. In a letter to the federal government, they defended the "Rente mit 63," asserting that 45 years of contributions are sufficient and that this principle should not be abandoned.

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We must keep the pension without deductions after 45 years of work. Anything else is unjust.

Further criticism of the proposed changes has come from SPD state leaders Dietmar Woidke (Brandenburg) and Manuela Schwesig (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). The debate intensifies as state parliaments in Berlin, Saxony-Anhalt, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are set to hold elections in September. Meanwhile, CDU leaders Thorsten Frei and Franziska Hoppermann have reiterated their party's commitment to abolishing the "Rente mit 63" as part of broader pension reforms. Federal Labor Minister Bärbel Bas has called on the CDU to clarify its stance on the matter.

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Whoever has paid in for 45 years has paid in enough. We will not give up this principle.