Germany news: Pension overhaul may push retirement age to 70

Germany is weighing sweeping pension changes, including raising the retirement age to 70. Meanwhile, football fans are celebrating after the men's national side qualified for the World Cup knockout stage. DW has more. https://p.dw.com/p/5FkTUThe commission proposes incremental increases every decadeImage: Bildagentur-online/Joko/picture allianceAdvertisementSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know A government-appointed commission is expected to recommend a hike in the retirement age Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in World Cup group stage match The western German state of Rheinland-Palatinate suffered major flooding as a result of heavy overnight rains Friday Nine people were injured, six seriously, when lightning struck a sports festival in southwestern Rastatt Follow below for the latest developments regarding Germany for the weekend of Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21: 06/21/2026June 21, 2026German panel proposes sweeping pension overhaulA government-appointed commission has proposed a major overhaul of Germany’s pension system, including raising the retirement age and introducing a funded pillar. According to German news reports over the weekend, the changes would gradually lift the retirement age to 70 by around the 2090s and abolish the full pension option at 63. At the core of the plan is a new capital-funded pension within the statutory system, complementing the current pay-as-you-go model. The scheme would be financed by an additional 2% contribution from gross wages, split between employers and employees, and invested through a state-managed fund. The retirement age, currently set to reach 67 in the early 2030s, would be linked to life expectancy, rising incrementally over time. The proposals also include scrapping most pension contribution-free mini-jobs, bringing new self-employed workers and lawmakers into the statutory pension system, and reintroducing a sustainability factor to slow annual pension increases. The commission is expected to present its recommendations to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's govenrment on Tuesday. Germany's coalition government split over reform agendaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 06/21/2026June 21, 2026We are pausing our coverageAmid the celebrations of a last-minute Germany victory at the World Cup seems like the perfect reason to pause our blog. Join us again tomorrow as we continue covering what's happening here. 06/21/2026June 21, 2026Germany beat Ivory Coast 2-1 to advance to World Cup knockout roundsAn injury-time goal gave Germany the 2-1 win over Ivory CoastImage: Bahho Kara/Kirchner-Media/IMAGOIn the Toronto sunshine, Deniz Undav's injury-time winner helped Germany to a comeback win against the Ivory Coast in their second game at the 2026 World Cup. The result also secures their spot in the knockout rounds for the first time since 2014. The team ranked 30th in the world provided a much tougher test than Curacao, and took the lead thanks to Franck Kessie. Yan Diomande, who plays for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, was a problem. Germany captain Joshua Kimmich struggled against the winger, and it was his pass that set up Kessie for the Ivory Coast's opener after half an hour. 06/20/2026June 20, 2026Ines Schwerdtner and Luigi Pantisano elected new leaders of Left PartyLuigi Pantisano is the new co-chair of Die Linke, or the Left Party, and will lead it alongside Ines Schwerdtner Image: Michael Bahlo/dpa/picture allianceInes Schwerdtner won 86% support from party delegates and Luigi Pantisano won around 53% on Saturday to become the new leaders of the Left Party in a party conference vote. Schwerdtner spoke out in favor of Pantisano, currently deputy leader of the Left's parliamentary group. Speaking as a team, the two released a joint statement, declaring: "We the Left Party, have decided to become a class organizing party. We want to continue along that path and take it to another level." The statement also made public the duo's aim of "having 200,000 members by 2029." Pantisano, an architect and urban planner, said the next few weeks will be spent "organizing workers' resistance against a government that is trampling on what they are due." "If we can attract a lot of them [workers] to our party we'll be in a position to achieve real change." 06/20/2026June 20, 2026Germany to play talented Ivory Coast on SaturdayKai Havertz scored two goals against Curacao last SundayImage: Bahho Kara/Kirchner-Media/picture allianceThousands of German fans are gathering in Toronto, Canada, for Saturday’s FIFA World Cup match between Germany and Ivory Coast. Germany opened their World Cup campaign in style last Sunday, scoring seven goals in their first match against Curaçao. The Ivorians also began their tournament strongly this week, securing a dramatic 1–0 victory over Ecuador. That means both teams won their opening matches and earned three points each

Germany news: Pension overhaul may push retirement age to 70

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