A narrow win on pensions is testing Merz' leadership

By forcing through a stopgap reform, the German chancellor is buying time — but leaving long-term sustainability concerns unresolved.

Dear Reader,

In the days before Friday’s Bundestag vote on Germany’s contentious Rentenpaket (pension package), Chancellor Friedrich Merz wasted little time -- or rhetorical restraint.

In internal talks and public remarks in the run-up to the debate, Merz warned that failure by his own party to back the package “would destabilise Germany and Europe.” He c…