23.06.2026 –"The proposals of the pension commission mark important steps towards an overdue reform of our pension system. The economy makes a significant contribution to old-age security and therefore depends heavily on a viable system that, as a societal task, also stabilizes the location. For a sustainably financed pension system, we need not only isolated reform steps but also an economy that returns to the growth path. Both are interconnected."

"In the interest of all parties involved, necessary reforms must not be further delayed. The proposed mix of measures addresses the challenges of demographic change and aims to secure the financing of statutory pension insurance in the long term. The approach to increased capital coverage is fundamentally the right path. However, the specific implementation is crucial. Currently, the high tax burden on German workplaces is one of the reasons why our location is lagging behind in global competition. With the planned additional two percentage points of contribution rate for statutory capital pensions, the total burden with social contributions would significantly exceed 40 percent. We need to move in the opposite direction, reliably below 40 percent. Because above this threshold, we remain caught in the vicious circle of rising contributions, declining investment power, and diminishing employment. This is one reason why we are losing competitiveness instead of regaining it."

"From the companies' perspective, the halt of early retirement is an important signal in combating the shortage of skilled workers. Each year, this concerns 250,000 people who remain in the labor market. This relieves all contributors and payers simultaneously by ten billion euros annually. The proposed improvements to cushion hardship cases are sensible. This keeps the reform socially responsible and economically consistent."

"Even though the reform pressure is enormous and the timeframe for a balanced overall package must be utilized, thorough, practical, and sustainable legislative work is now required: Anyone who wants to abolish mini-jobs in their current form must simultaneously create meaningful alternatives for flexible extra and additional work. Many businesses, such as those in the hospitality and retail industries, are existentially dependent on flexible employment forms, e.g., for special shifts during peak seasons or short-term staff shortages. Full contributions would directly affect these sectors, which already face the greatest personnel shortages. We take the social policy concern, particularly the protection of women from old-age poverty, seriously, but the answer must be more nuanced than an abrupt end to current mini-jobs. New creative solutions, such as the active pension and similar schemes for other scenarios, must be feasible—also as a means against undeclared work."

"Viable concepts for self-employed individuals' retirement provisions are also essential. A mandatory insurance obligation for future self-employed individuals may be sensible to exclude later burdens on the public. However, entrepreneurial engagement must not be stifled in the process. Therefore, specific implementation is crucial here as well. Essential measures include grace periods for start-ups, unbureaucratic procedures for calculating and paying contributions, and the possibility to replace membership in statutory pension insurance with a simple proof of their own provisions. We reject mandatory membership without an opt-out option."