“We have to make do with that”
Lindner calls for a three-year moratorium on social spending
February 23, 2024, 11:51 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Tight cash, a sluggish economy and the desire to spend more on armaments – in this situation, Finance Minister Lindner sees no scope for new social spending in the coming years. The Joint Welfare Association describes this attitude as “destructive”.
In view of the economic weakness in Germany, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner advocates not introducing any new social benefits for three years. It has practically become a national sport to constantly decide on new subsidies and higher social benefits. “With what we have, from citizens’ money to pensions, we have to get by for three years,” said the FDP leader in Ghent, Belgium.
Lindner said Germany could fulfill its NATO commitments without restricting social security in Germany. “The only thing we have to do is not decide anything additional for a few years.”
There are regular increases in these benefits due to the link to increases in wages and costs. These are of course fine, but there can no longer be any new benefits such as pensions at 63 for the time being.
The general manager of the Paritätischen Wohlfahrtsverband, Ulrich Schneider, rejected the proposal. In view of over 14 million low-income people in Germany, the enormous demographic challenges that society is facing, and the horrendous number of educators, teachers or nursing staff that are missing, it is “socially and politically destructive to play off the defense budget against, of all things, social spending to want,” he told the Funke media group.
“We already have quite a lot”
FDP leader Lindner first discussed a three-year moratorium on social spending, subsidies and other benefits on the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”. “I’m not concerned with the fact that we have to get rid of things now. We can discuss that too.” However, it is important that nothing new is added. “We already have quite a lot,” he explained. The background to this is the federal government’s commitment to NATO to achieve defense spending of at least two percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for the first time this year. According to the alliance, Germany is only just achieving the NATO quota this year at 2.01 percent.
Green Party leader Ricarda Lang replied on the show: “We must not pit external security against social security in the country.” It will not be possible to finance these tasks from the current budget. “We have to find other ways to do that.”
Clemens Fuest, President of the economic research institute IFO, assumed that there would be no way around cuts in the social sector. “Cannons and butter – that would be nice if that were possible. But that’s the land of milk and honey. That’s not possible. But cannons without butter.” The welfare state will continue to be financed. “But it will just be smaller.”