Press
New trouble in the traffic lights: The FDP wants to drastically cut pensions and citizens' benefits. The SDP immediately responded with a clear rejection.
Munich – Citizens' money is once again becoming a bone of contention within the traffic light coalition. The reason for this is a proposal from the FDP, which is heading towards confrontation. At the weekend, the Liberals spread calls for further restrictions on those who refuse to work. But the SPD wants to nip these in the bud immediately. The FDP is also aiming for an end to pensions at 63.
“We will not do anything that weakens workers and undermines the social ideas of the Basic Law,” said SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich on Sunday German Press Agency (dpa). According to Mützenich, the FDP's proposals are “a remnant of a mothballs and not up to date.”
FDP presents twelve-point plan: 30 percent less for those who refuse to work
Mützenich was reacting to an FDP resolution paper that the dpa is present. First they had Picture on Sunday reported about it. Specifically, the Liberals presented twelve points “to accelerate the economic turnaround”. If the FDP has its way, recipients of citizens' benefit should in the future immediately have to forego 30 percent of their benefits if they refuse a job. So far, a phased model has applied to benefit cuts.
As data from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) shows, only a fraction of benefit recipients were affected by sanctions of this type in 2023. The FDP paper is to be approved by the party executive committee on Monday and presented at the party conference at the weekend. FDP leader Christian Lindner recently railed against German work ethic, CDU leader Friedrich Merz agreed with him.
Söder on the FDP's push for citizens' money: “Nothing other than a divorce certificate for the traffic lights”
The Greens are still holding back from commenting on their coalition partner. Out of the party The left came sharp criticism. Chairman Martin Schirdewan called the FDP paper “a document of social cruelty”. What is now needed is “no neoliberal role backwards, but finally a turning point for social justice,” Schirdewan told the dpa.
The opposition also commented on the move. Compared to Bild, CSU boss Markus Söder called the paper “nothing more than a divorce certificate for the traffic lights”. CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann takes a similar view, and also told the newspaper that the proposals would read like “Lambsdorff 2.0”. According to a paper by the then FDP Economics Minister Otto Graf Lambsdorff in 1982, the coalition between the Liberals and the SPD had broken up. According to Linnemann, the FDP either has to get out of the traffic light or implement some “necessary measures”. Under black/yellow, some points from the paper can be implemented “quickly”.
FDP Vice-President Vogel: “Equity of performance” when receiving basic security
The FDP does not want to give in to the SPD. The party's deputy leader, Johannes Vogel, warned on Sunday, in view of Mützenich's statements, that the “current weakness of Germany as an economic location also endangers the strong welfare state in this country. “All coalition partners must have a common interest in achieving the economic turnaround,” Vogel told the dpa. This includes easing the tax burden on citizens, but also creating “performance equity” when receiving basic security.
Citizens' money came into force on January 1, 2023 – and replaced the controversial Hartz IV system. A core of the reform is weaker sanction options. With the new system, the federal government wanted to focus on more cooperation with those affected and less on pressure through punishment. A point that is sharply criticized not only by the FDP, but above all by the Union. (cgsc with dpa)
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