If life expectancy in Belgium continues to grow, raising the legal retirement age will be necessary in order to maintain a “financially sustainable” pension system, Antwerp mayor Bart de Wever said.
“If life expectancy continues to grow, the age for legal retirement must grow as well”, de Wever said in a debate broadcast on the “Terzake” programme on Tuesday evening.
De Wever, who also presides the far-right nationalist Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) party, said the delay would be implemented on a monthly basis, instead of by whole years.
Related News: The average retirement age in Belgium is 61.9
“It is the only way to make sure that [Belgium’s] pension system remains “financially sustainable,” he told his socialist counterpart, John Combrez, leader of Socialistische Partij Anders.
The Flemish nationalist leader also said that the effective retirement age should also be pushed back.
In Belgium, the legal retirement age is currently 65 for an individual who has worked full-time for at least 35 years, although this age can vary throughout different activity sectors.
Related News: Pension on average 450 euros too low to pay for retirement home
However, a recent study by enterprise counter Acerta found that the average retirement age in Belgium was 61.9 years old, confirming previous 2017 findings that, among developed nations, Belgian workers were among those to retire the youngest.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
