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The SPD and the Greens criticize the FDP’s five-point plan
From the FDP’s point of view, reforms of the social systems and the abolition of the “pension at 63” are needed. photo
© Felix Kästle/dpa
The 2025 budget demands a lot from the traffic light coalition. The FDP with Finance Minister Lindner wants savings in pension policy, for example – protest comes primarily from the Chancellor’s SPD party.
FDP against “pension at 63”
With the five-point paper that the FDP presidium now wants to adopt, the Liberals are calling for a “generationally fair budget policy”. This must comply with the debt limit of the Basic Law and must not overburden young people when financing pensions, it says. From the Liberals’ point of view, reforms of the social systems and the abolition of the “pension at 63” are needed – this is about the pension without deductions after a particularly long insurance period.
Green politician questions debt brake
Green parliamentary group vice-president Konstantin von Notz criticized the FDP’s demand for compliance with the 2025 debt brake in the “Tagesspiegel”. “In times when our freedom is being put under as much pressure as it is currently by an aggressive Russia and extremists of all stripes, we have to rely on certainties Putting the debt brake to the test in its current form,” he said. With regard to necessary investments in the Bundeswehr, police and cybersecurity, he said that it was “about very fundamental questions for our community” and not about investments that it would be nice to be able to make.
The budget for 2025 should be ready by July
The coalition dispute over the federal budget for 2025 continues. It is known that several ministries do not want to comply with the strict savings requirements of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and have reported additional requirements. Scholz hopes for an agreement by July, i.e. before the parliamentary summer break. He made this clear on Saturday evening at a panel discussion organized by the Editorial Network Germany (RND) in Potsdam. There he also spoke out against cuts for pensioners. “It shouldn’t be at their expense,” said Scholz. He also emphasized: “It is very clear to me that one thing is important for our country, namely that we do not question social cohesion.”
Development Minister Schulze warns against savings
Meanwhile, Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) once again warned against excessive savings in her house’s budget. There have already been significant cuts in the development sector, she said in the ARD “Report from Berlin”. “For the security that we need in Germany, we need military security, we need diplomacy, but we also need development cooperation,” she said. “We cannot withdraw from this responsibility if security in Germany is important to us. And that is important to us, and that is why development policy is a central part of it.”
FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki, for example, called for cuts here. “I would make massive savings in the development aid budget. Because the first thing is to restore German competitiveness, only then can we help other countries,” he told “Welt am Sonntag”. Minister Schulze’s house has registered almost 12.2 billion euros. According to current financial planning, the budget should fall to around 10.3 billion euros.