Basic child security: Lindner criticizes the lack of a concept

From 2025 there should be basic child security – according to the plan of the Minister for Family Affairs. In January, she sent specific key points for implementation to the departments involved. Finance Minister Lindner complains that there is no concept.

In the coalition dispute over the planned basic child security, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner is distancing himself from the project. “Not everything that is desirable goes immediately,” he told the news portal t-online.de about the Greens’ demands for a speedy introduction.

“Specifically, there is still no concept for basic child security,” says Lindner. From his point of view, it is not necessarily about more money, but about digitization and simplification of the support of children.

According to Lindner, the number of children affected by poverty has increased primarily due to immigration. “So let’s take the example of a family where the parents don’t have a job and don’t speak German. Do we then simply transfer them more money? Or do we invest in language training for parents and children? And in the effort to get the parents into the job market to integrate?” Children would benefit from this in the long term, according to the FDP leader.

Budget funds are limited. The FDP rejects tax increases.

Child poverty is a problem for society as a whole

Criticism of Lindner’s statements came from the Social Association Germany (SoVD). “It is shameful that parts of the FDP and the Federal Minister of Finance are now pulling the handbrake,” says CEO Michaela Engelmeier in an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ). Members of the SoVD call for a quick implementation of the basic child security plan planned by the traffic light coalition.

Child poverty does not only prevent individual success and advancement opportunities for adolescents. Failure to fight poverty has high social costs. “Children are our future and their equal opportunities should be worth every penny to us,” Engelmeier continues.

additional costs in the billions

The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) expects annual additional expenditure of 12.5 billion euros for the introduction of basic child security. This is shown by a thesis paper by the federal executive board, which is available to the editorial network Germany (RND).

“Basic child security that fights child poverty will cost money,” says DBG board member Anja Piel. The additional costs of 12.5 billion euros are therefore “money well invested”. Piel believes that large assets and income should be used more to finance the project.

In the case of basic child security, various services from child benefit to child supplements and financial support for leisure activities are to be bundled. Many families are currently not applying for benefits due to ignorance or bureaucratic hurdles. Families and their children should benefit from basic security from 2025.