CS, Central Association of Permanent Defence Personnel in Denmark

(Topic: The Danish Prime Minister brought the issue of Danes’ retirement age into debate at her party’s recently concluded summer meeting.)

CS Chairman Jesper Korsgaard Hansen on the Pension Age Debate: Interesting, but We Want Concrete Proposals

At a press conference held during their recent summer meeting, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that 2025 will be the last time the Social Democrats will vote to increase the pension age.

It was decided in the 2006 Welfare Agreement (by the then Parliament) that the pension age should increase in line with life expectancy. However, it was also agreed that it must be voted on every five years. According to Mette Frederiksen at the Press Conference, 2025 will be the last time the Social Democrats support this increase, meaning that if the party has its way, the pension age will not exceed 70 years.

She made this announcement as party leader, not as Prime Minister or on behalf of the government. While she did not present a concrete plan, she initiated the discussion on the pension age, a topic that resonated with the labor movement.

In an interview with Berlingske, (A large Danish daily Newspaper) the party leader elaborated further on the Social Democrats’ position. “There are several paths we can take, and that’s the discussion we need to have as a society now. What’s crucial for me is to say that next year will be the last time we vote blindly to raise the pension age by a year,” she stated.

When Berlingske’s journalist asked if she envisions “some form of differentiated pension age, where different occupational groups are distinguished?” she replied, “If I had a concrete model, I would present it. I think it’s right for me to announce the Social Democrats’ position and give us time to think it over.”

“But it should be more lenient than today?” the Berlingske reporter asked, to which she responded clearly, “Yes!”

Since there is not yet a solid plan or detailed proposal on the table, it’s impossible to say what the actual impact will be on CS members in the military. As CS Chairman Jesper Korsgaard Hansen expresses it, “We have no idea what it will actually mean.”

“Mette Frederiksen is speaking as party leader, not on behalf of the government. She is addressing her voters. But it’s interesting to bring up the discussion. It makes sense to debate the topic, but we want to see something much more concrete before we form our final opinion,” adds Jesper Korsgaard Hansen.

Read the original article here.