Berlin.
Is there more money for the fight against child poverty? FDP leader Linder defends himself against it – the mayor of Bremen attacks him for it.
For social associations, it is a key tool in the fight against child poverty: basic child security. The three traffic light parties in the coalition agreement have also committed themselves to the project. However, there is disagreement about one important detail – the financing. This is now also met with criticism in the federal states.
“More than every fifth child in Germany grows up in poverty,” said Bremen’s Senate President and Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) of this editorial team. “This is deeply shameful for a rich country and we cannot accept it any longer.” Because child poverty restricts participation, child poverty reduces educational opportunities and child poverty determines the further lives of young people.
SPD politician Bovenschulte: Basic child security will not be available for free
Bovenschulte added: “Basic child security will not be available for free. This dogma of the FDP must go.” From 2025, various state benefits such as child benefit and child supplement be bundled. Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) had called for the sum of twelve billion euros per year from 2025.
Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner rejects this. “I agree with the Chancellor,” Lindner told the “Phoenix” broadcaster at the weekend. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also said that “the essentials for basic child security in financial terms have been done”. Another two to three billion euros additional financial needs expected his experts in the ministry if all eligible families actually took advantage of the aid that had already been decided or increased, said Lindner.
SPD expects additional spending in the billions
The SPD parliamentary group assumes that the federal government for the planned Basic child security at least an additional three billion euros. So far, for example, through increases in child benefit and the standard rates for citizen benefit, aid of seven billion euros has already been decided, said the parliamentary manager of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast. In the end, she expects a double-digit billion amount for basic child security.
“Basic child security is the instrument for the dedicated fight against child poverty,” said Mast. This should make it easier for children in need to receive state aid. “We have already made quite a lot of legislation on this in this legislature,” she emphasized. Among other things, the changes in child support were already part of it.
“Now it’s about ensuring that all services reach the children. They don’t do that,” said Mast. In fact, many families do not apply, for example, for the child allowance or for help from the education and participation package. In the future they should Gelder arrive better. “We will then automatically spend a few more billions,” said Mast.
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