Germany's pension commission report draws AfD criticism over proposed 70% pension target

The government’s pension commission delivered 33 recommendations that aim for a net replacement rate of 70 % across all retirement incomes – including statutory pensions, occupational schemes, a new capital pillar and private savings. Chancellor Friedrich Merz supports full implementation, while the AfD, led by Alice Weidel, argues the proposals fall short of the party’s long‑standing demand for a 70 % statutory pension level. Weidel criticised the plan’s calls to integrate civil servants into the statutory system, to end the “pension at 63” option, to raise the retirement age and to impose mandatory supplementary contributions, describing them as “unreasonable demands.”

Retirement experts warned that the 70 % figure is misleading because it refers to total retirement income rather than the statutory pension alone, which currently stands at about 48 % of net wages and is expected to decline after 2031. They stressed that private savings will become increasingly essential and called for clearer communication to avoid giving the public a false impression of guaranteed higher pensions.