Germany's Merz: I will prioritise welfare reform over popularity

FRANKFURT, Oct ‌13 (Reuters) - German ​Chancellor ​Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday he was ready to sacrifice ‌his popularity in opinion polls to ⁠push through long-overdue welfare system reforms that ‌benefit younger people.

• "I have ‌no intention of becoming the nation's darling. My intention is to set ​this country on the right course so that, above all, we ⁠can once again offer the younger generation decent prospects," ​said Merz, speaking at an employers' association conference.

• Germany's labour minister ​of the centre-left SPD ‌quit on Monday, adding to uncertainty around Merz's struggling coalition ⁠after bruising state election defeats last month and a slide in opinion polls.

• ⁠The chancellor also said that the country was ​at least 30 years late with plans to overhaul the pay-as-you-go retirement system.

• Merz added ‌that pension contributions to be paid by workers and ‌employers would have to rise temporarily ⁠to accommodate demographic ‌change.

(Reporting by Ludwig ​Burger and Emanuele Berro, editing by Matthias Williams and Thomas ‌Seythal)

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