(ANSA) - BELGRADE, FEB 3 - "Before the end of 2026, we will launch a comprehensive pension reform, redefining the three pillars of our pension system, including their interrelationships," Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced yesterday evening at the opening event for the 2026 German Stock Exchange, promising a "paradigm shift in German politics." "Mandatory pension insurance will continue, but it will be just one component of a new overall pension system in which private and company pensions will play a much larger role than in the past," the Chancellor stated. (ANSA).