National Council Approves Pension Adjustment

In the pension adjustment, all pensions of a person are now summed up. This means that no part of the pension can be compensated only with a fixed amount while another part is fully compensated. To consider special pensions of the states, a special regulation with a two-thirds majority was required, which was supported by both the Greens and the Freedom Party.

Pension Adjustment Passed: Controversial Special Pensions

Their representative Peter Wurm called on the other parties to abolish the special pensions altogether. This could be done without the approval of the ÖVP. The Greens, through their social spokesperson Markus Koza, had previously called for lowering the legal cap on pensions for officials and employees of state-related entities. He blamed the People's Party for this not coming to fruition. A savings package for the general public is always possible with the ÖVP, but when it comes to the privileges of the wealthy, reforms are off the table. While Koza found the staggered adjustment acceptable, the Freedom Party opposed it. Social spokesperson Dagmar Belakowitsch listed subsidies for integration initiatives and fumed: "There is always money for migrants, there is always money for NGOs, but savings are made on pensioners."

Regret of the Social Minister on Pension Adjustment

Social Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) regretted that it was not possible to compensate all pensioners for inflation: "This is not possible due to the budgetary situation." However, it was possible to compensate more than 71 percent of pensioners for the inflation. SP social spokesperson Josef Muchitsch insisted that his party had prevented worse, as Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) did not want to allow more than a two percent increase. He countered the criticism from the FPÖ with a counterattack: "The biggest pension cuts have always happened when the FPÖ occupied the Social Ministry."

ÖVP parliamentary group leader August Wöginger also had little patience with the Freedom Party's criticism. After all, pensions were increased by over 20 percent from 2023 to 2025: "Show me anywhere in the world where a country has increased pensions by a fifth in three years." The measure is now also being taken to get the high inflation under control: "We are not doing this for fun and games."

The NEOS see the fact that inflation is not being fully adjusted as their own achievement. Parliamentary group leader Yannick Shetty stated: "Resistance to reform is now over." After years of adjustments above inflation, there is now a change of course in the interest of the budget and the overall system: "This is not the popular thing, but the right thing," Shetty saw a "fair package."

(APA/Red)

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