GERMANY - Ursula von der Leyen, a little-known social affairs ministers in the state of Lower Saxony, could be Germany’s next minister for pensions if the CDU/CSU wins the federal election on September 18.

Angela Merkel, the conservative opposition’s candidate for chancellor, named the 46-year-old as shadow minister of health and social affairs in her shadow cabinet in Berlin today.

A spokeswoman for the CDU confirmed that, like current social affairs minister Ulla Schmidt, von der Leyen would also be in charge of pension policy.

Educated in Europe and the US and carrying advanced degrees in economics and medicine, von der Leyen has no previous experience in pensions. She is best known for supporting the introduction of a lump-sum charge for state-chartered health care.

Von der Leyen’s appointment is an indication that, if it forms the next government, the CDU/CSU will not place much emphasis on pensions. This was already apparent in their election programme, which promises a rebate on the contribution to the state pension scheme in exchange for having children and states vaguely that second- and third-pillar pensions will be strengthened.

However, leading pension experts like Professor Bert Rürup believe that regardless of which government emerges after the election, Germany will see a lifting of the retirement age to 67 and a decision on whether employers will be legally obliged to offer defined-contribution schemes.

It is by no means certain that von der Leyen will succeed Schmidt, as this first depends on the CDU/CDU winning the election. Moreover, a chancellor Merkel may decide to give responsibility for pensions to Peter Müller, her shadow minister for economics and labour. Müller is prime minister of the small mining state of Saarland.

In doing so, Merkel would partially follow the example of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who put Walter Riester in charge of labour and social affairs for his first term.