Arne Juhl, who has become the symbol of the so-called Arne pension, is now calling for the scheme to be adjusted to match the level of senior pension. He made this statement at an event in Haderslev on May 1, where he officially marked his retirement, and where Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also participated. “Yes, it can come up and follow the senior pension, so there are no inequalities,” Arne Juhl said during the event. His statements come in the wake of both the Socialist People’s Party (SF) and the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) earlier in the day suggesting that the agreement on the Arne pension should be revisited and potentially improved.
When the Arne pension was introduced in 2020, it was expected that around 29,000 people would take advantage of the opportunity to retire early in 2023. According to recent figures from Denmark’s national broadcaster DR, only about 12,000 full-time individuals have used the scheme, meaning there are more unused funds available than originally assumed. SF and Enhedslisten now want to use these funds to strengthen the Arne pension.
Arne Juhl has expressed a certain understanding of the political challenges that may be associated with such an adjustment, noting that the “right wing” can be a blocking factor. However, he has had discussions with Enhedslisten about the possibility of improving the agreement. Critics of the Arne pension have pointed out that it has been possible to receive a higher payout through the senior pension, creating inequality between the two schemes. This is something that SF and Enhedslisten hope to address by increasing the amount paid out through the Arne pension.