The Danish Parliament passed a bill to extend the retirement age for pension receipt from the current 67 years old to 70 years old by 2040. Denmark will become the country with the highest retirement age in Europe.
According to reports from foreign news outlets such as the BBC, on the 22nd (local time), the Danish Parliament approved the proposal to raise the retirement age with 81 votes in favor and 21 against the previous day. Denmark has been implementing a system that adjusts the retirement age every five years based on life expectancy since 2006. The current retirement age is 67 years old, but it is expected to increase to 68 years old by 2030 and to 69 years old by 2035. The age of 70 will apply to citizens born after December 31, 1970.
As the elderly population continues to increase, this bill was passed to provide appropriate welfare for future generations. The current population of Denmark is about 6 million, of which approximately 713,000 are between the ages of 60 and 69, and about 580,000 are between the ages of 70 and 79. Other European countries, such as France, have also raised the retirement age to alleviate government financial deficits and improve life expectancy.
With the delay in the age for receiving pension benefits, there are voices of dissent among blue-collar workers doing physically demanding jobs. Roofer Thomas Jensen, 47, told the public broadcaster DR, "We work and work and work, but we can't keep doing that. I have paid taxes my whole life. I need to have time to spend with my children and grandchildren."
Protests continue in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Jesper Etrup Rasmussen, Chairperson of the Danish Trade Union Confederation, said, "Denmark has a strong economy, yet it has the highest retirement age in the European Union, and raising the retirement age means people lose the right to live a dignified old age."
There are also opinions suggesting that the current gradual approach to increasing retirement age should be re-evaluated. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted last year, "We no longer believe that the retirement age should be automatically extended, and we cannot tell people they must work one more year."