The pensions of retired military personnel will increase by almost 10% from 1 January, according to the Federal Pensions Service.
The increase is due to ‘equalisation,’ a system whereby the pensions of civil servants are adjusted in line with the salaries of those still in active service.
This is in addition to the indexation of pensions to the cost of living.
According to a spokesman for the Federal Pensions Service, the increase in pensions will be 9.45%, due to the rise in military salaries in recent years. It will benefit more than 67,000 military personnel.
The hike is more than justified, according to the unions. "Military personnel had received virtually no pay rises over the past 30 years. That is why salaries were revised upwards in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to bring them more or less into line with those of the federal police," said Chris Huybrechts, president of the liberal defence union VSOA. "Pensions will follow suit."
The fact that military pensions will rise by almost 10% in January is due to a transitional measure. The equalisation system will be changed in 2025. From then on, increases in civil servants' pensions will be capped at 0.3% of the total cost of pensions.
