Green Party leader Felix Banaszak is calling for a higher retirement age. “The real working lifetime must rise” he told “Der Spiegel”. “That means more rehabilitation and health protection, but also a restriction on early pensioning – together with the possibility to go into retirement without large reductions if it really becomes impossible” he explained.
Banaszak pointed to Germany’s increasing life expectancy. “Wouldn’t it make sense to spend more of that gained lifespan in productive work? We should think about that” he said.
He also advocated expanding the statutory pension system to include groups such as members of parliament, newly appointed civil servants, and self‑employed professionals. Moreover, the Green Party chairman proposed stabilising small and medium pensions forever by using investment income and, if necessary, additional tax revenue.