Cuts to voluntary services averted
The plans to cut voluntary services were withdrawn last night in the Bundestag's Budget Committee - and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Social Affairs Minister Stefanie Drese (SPD) expressed her relief. "I assume that the number of places in the various voluntary services in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will not have to be reduced in the coming year," she explained on Friday.
According to Drese, around 2,300 people did voluntary service in the north-east last year. These include the Voluntary Social Year (FSJ), the Voluntary Ecological Year (FÖJ) and the Federal Voluntary Service. The cut of 78 million euros initially planned by the federal government for 2024 would have resulted in a reduction of around 550 places in MV, according to Drese, citing estimates.
On Friday night, the Bundestag's Budget Committee withdrew the originally planned cuts to youth volunteer services and federal volunteer services for 2024. Like Drese, many associations, organizations and local authorities had campaigned against the reduction in federal funding right up to the end. The federal budget is due to be passed by the Bundestag on December 1.
In the context of the averted cuts, the Household Association in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern might express gratitude for maintaining their volunteering opportunities in the upcoming year. Furthermore, the Bundestag's decision to retain funding for voluntary services is expected to positively impact various social organizations throughout Germany.
Source: www.dpa.com
