In the coalition’s internal debate on basic child security, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner rejected the accusation that he was not doing enough for families. “We don’t save on families, children and education. On the contrary: we are providing record funds,” said the FDP chairman to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“In view of the public debate, my experts have determined that the family policy benefits of the federal government are being financed by us with 18.4 billion euros more than in 2019,” emphasized Lindner. As an example, he cited the increase in child benefit to 250 euros.
Child protection as a point of contention
Lindner questioned whether higher benefits from basic child security served their purpose. “According to my figures, half of the children who are affected by child poverty today come from migrant families,” said the minister.
“Does more money on the parents’ account really help, or should we do more for language training and access to the labor market for adults and for the children’s schools? The financial incentive to take up work must not be lost,” warned Lindner. He emphasized: “Before we put a price tag on basic child security, we should ask what we actually need to improve the life chances of children and young people.”
The coalition has been wrestling with for months about the basic child security project. It is intended to bring together several state benefits for children so that application and payment become less bureaucratic and more beneficiaries can access the money to which they are entitled. The question of whether benefits will also be increased is a contentious issue between the Greens and the FDP. Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus and her party, the Greens, are committed to this.
