2024-03-05 06:03:54
The economic situation is difficult. The defense tasks are growing. Should savings be made in the social sector? Chancellor Scholz makes a clear announcement.
Given the economic situation in Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has strictly rejected social cuts and the dismantling of workers’ rights. The CDU and CSU wanted to approach pensions by raising the retirement age, others wanted to limit benefits in the event of illness and long-term care, some wanted to reduce protection against dismissal and other things. “For me, that’s out of the question, to say that very clearly,” said the SPD politician on Monday in Berlin at the dpa editor-in-chief conference. “I rule out the possibility of a government led by me doing something like that.”
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner sparked a debate about social spending with statements about a social moratorium due to high military expenditure. Lindner suggested a multi-year moratorium on social spending and subsidies in order to be able to invest more money in defense. “The most important thing is that there are not always new subsidies, new social spending, new standards,” said the FDP leader on the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”. If we could manage to get by with “what we have” for three years, that would be a big step.
Criticism came from the SPD social politician Martin Rosemann. “It unnecessarily spreads fears and concerns among people who rely on the welfare state,” said the social policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group on WDR 5. “I would like a three-year moratorium on half-baked proposals.” Instead, Rosemann suggested additional contributions from those “who have a particularly large amount of income and, in particular, a particularly large amount of wealth.”
“Social spending is not particularly high”
The DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi warned that savings should be made on social benefits in order to plug financial holes in the federal budget. The debate about social spending must be turned “downside down,” Fahimi told the “Bild” newspaper (Monday). “Social spending in Germany is neither particularly high in international nor historical comparison – and has not grown much recently,” the head of the German Federation of Trade Unions made clear. She warned against “provoking further social upheaval through savings debates in times of upheaval.” Instead, we need to “address the debt brake,” said Fahimi.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr, however, supported Lindner. On rbb24 Inforadio he emphasized that there could be no expansion of the welfare state in the coming years. Germany must work on its defense capability and economic strength.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had already rejected Lindner’s proposal. “Putting social security against the protection of freedom, I don’t know whether that is the most sensible way,” said the Green politician in the ARD program “Report from Berlin”.