Bieler warns: New right to vote divides society and disadvantages seniors!

Bieler warns: New right to vote divides society and disadvantages seniors!

Helmut Bieler, interim president of the Austria Pensioners' Association, has sharply criticized the proposal of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). The ÖAW intends to introduce a redesigned right to vote as to which families should give a stronger voice to older people. Bieler describes this idea as dangerous and warns of a division of society because in a democracy every voice should be worth the same. He sees the proposed family voting right as discriminatory towards pensioners and people without children.

Bieler also expresses concerns about pension financing and emphasizes that pension salarming, which is often heard in the discussion about reforms, is exaggerated. Pension recipients would have paid into the system all their lives, and the long -term affiliation of the pensions in Austria is not endangered according to the European Commission's AGEING Report.

Financial stability of the pension system

Pension expenses in Austria are subject to a moderate increase, with the expenditure of 13.8 to 14 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) increasing by 2070. A high point of 14.7 percent is expected in 2032. These stable developments are the result of comprehensive pension reforms that have not led to drastic cuts in pension heights. The AGING Report 2024 confirms that pension financing in Austria remains with good system stability and that the reforms show positive effects.

alarming demographic projections show that the proportion of older people will increase by 64 percent by 2070, while the relative pension effort will only be half a PIP percentage point above the previous forecasts. It is pointed out that two scenarios exist for the stability of the pension expenditure: the improvement of employment rates from 55 years and the connection of the statutory retirement age to life expectancy, which could be perceived as unjust.

reform strategies and their effects

The demographic change leads to an increase in pension expenses at short notice, followed by a phase of stable expenditure development. The report of the Ministry of Social Affairs underlines the importance of aligning pension systems for civil servants to pension insurance in order to further secure stability. Versatile reports and studies on the Austrian pension system published in the Ministry of Social Affairs show that there is a lack of dealing with the challenges of the pension sector.

Overall, Biel appealed not to play young and old against each other, but to recognize the need to ensure adequate retirement provision for future generations. In summary, it can be stated that the reforms in the pension area have a sustainable influence on the future development of the pensions. The positive stability of the pension system is emphasized in an international comparison.

For further information about the pension system in Austria and the associated reports, extensive resources are available on the website of the Ministry of Social Affairs, which offer in -depth insights. Public pension protection remains a central challenge that society has to face.