Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) has called for more speed in the implementation of the planned basic child security. “We can no longer afford much time for quarrels, we have to get into the pots now,” she said on Tuesday on RTL / ntv’s “Frühstart” show. If the draft law is to be completed by the end of the summer break, now is “the time for decisions”. At the same time, she was confident that an agreement could be reached.
In the traffic light coalition, opinions on the reform had recently diverged. From the point of view of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), the main thing is to digitize and simplify the support of children, not necessarily more money. “Higher transfers are not always the silver bullet,” he told the news portal t-online last week.
Paus replied on Tuesday in the “ARD morning magazine” that the basic child security will cost more money because the existing benefits should also reach the citizens. That alone will cost the federal government around five billion euros. “But that’s money well spent, because it’s an investment for the children, our future,” said Paus. As an example, she cited the child supplement, a social benefit that only about every third person has applied for so far. Overall, she expects costs of around twelve billion euros.
Criticize left: For poor children “only contempt left”
The left sharply criticized the deadlock in the coalition. “So far, this government has had nothing but contempt for children growing up in poverty,” said party leader Martin Schirdewan of the German Press Agency. On the other hand, there is plenty of money for armaments. “The Greens and SPD must not give in again to Lindner’s wrong prioritization in this important decision,” demanded Schirdewan.
From 2025, basic child security is to bundle various services: from child benefit and child allowance to financial support for school trips and leisure time. “We’re still well on schedule, but yes, we have to agree on the traffic lights now – on the key points and then also on the financing,” said Paus. Then it could still work until 2025.
The Paritätischer Gesamtverband urged Lindner not to block the reform. “There is no way around basic child security. And it is the job of the finance minister to get the funds for it,” said managing director Ulrich Schneider of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” (Tuesday).
The German District Association, on the other hand, warned against a quick shot. The President, District Administrator Reinhard Sager (CDU), told the editorial network Germany (RND): “If you do not proceed carefully here, there is a risk that the number of responsible authorities will double for the families.” It shouldn’t happen that in the end everything just gets more complicated, as is so often the case.
