Demanding Federal Responsibility: Woidke Pushes for Full Payment of DDR Special Pensions
Federal government should account for DDR special pensions, asserts Woidke - The Government should financially support the unique pensions for those under the German Democratic Republic regime.
Hey there! Dietmar Woidke, Minister President of Brandenburg, has recently thrown his hat in the ring, advocating that the federal government should assume sole financial responsibility for the payment of DDR special and additional pensions. This, according to Woidke, would help relieve the immense burden on eastern German states, which has been shouldering the expense for decades.
These special and additional pensions were initially designated for specific professions, including service veterans like police officers, educators, engineers, scientists, or doctors. The expenses for these pensions amounted to a whopping 2.68 billion euros in 2023, as reported by Saxony-Anhalt.
When the DDR still existed, the system of these special and additional pensions was jointly backed by the eastern German states (60%) and the federal government (40%). However, at the beginning of 2021, the federal government upped their share to 50%, and subsequently, the Union and the SPD at the federal level agreed to the idea of taking on an additional 10% in their coalition agreement.
Despite this progress, Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Reiner Haseloff (CDU) has continued to call for further relief for the states. With Woidke voicing his support, we'll be watching closely to see if this initiative gains momentum. Let's hope for a fair resolution that takes both historical responsibility and fiscal sustainability into account.
Until next time!
- DDR
- Dietmar Woidke
- Brandenburg
- SPD
- Pensions
- Police
- Germany
- Coalition Agreement
- Eastern German States
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Minister President
In light of Dietmar Woidke's advocacy, there is growing pressure on the federal government to take complete financial responsibility for the DDR special and additional pensions, currently shared by both federal and eastern German states. This call could potentially lead to policy-and-legislation changes in the politics of Germany, as vocational groups like educators, engineers, and doctors may be impacted by such changes in the general-news. It remains to be seen if this initiative will gain momentum and result in a fair resolution that considers historical responsibility and fiscal sustainability.
