Paus unveils fiscal plan omitting essential child maintenance allowances
According to the Circumstance, the traffic light alliance hasn't completely abandoned the concept of children's fundamental protection yet. However, in the recent budget plan of Family Minister Paus, the project no longer appears. The Union takes this as a positive sign, believing that the controversial reform of the Greens has stalled.
During the parliamentary debate, Union MPs declared the proposed children's fundamental protection by the traffic light alliance to be a non-starter. "This will never happen," stated CSU politician Dorothee Baer, who has been advocating for the project for three years now. "Let it sit in parliamentary proceedings a little longer! I tell you now: It will never happen, not even in the form you envisioned it!" Baer criticized the minister in the plenary session.
CDU politician Hermann-Josef Tebroke also pointed out that the 100 million euros earmarked for children's fundamental protection in the previous year's budget were not used. They were not included in the 2025 budget either. "This is a clear indication that children's fundamental protection is not happening," explained Tebroke.
Politicians from his faction and MPs from the AfD accused Paus of prioritizing other issues over the needs of families in the country. Promised improvements to parental leave are not on the table, and necessary projects such as the expansion of daycare centers are stagnant, among other things.
Green Politician: Children's Fundamental Protection Won't Happen in Its Original Form
On the topic of children's fundamental protection, Green politician Bruno Hoenel admitted: "In the form that we Greens envisioned, children's fundamental protection is not included in this budget draft. That's the simple truth." However, the traffic light alliance is "on the right track" with planned increases to child benefit and child immediate allowance.
The bill for children's fundamental protection - a Green pet project - has been stuck in parliament for months. The specific design of the reform is highly controversial even within the coalition. The first draft by Minister Paus sparked weeks of debates about necessary positions and billion-euro sums. With children's fundamental protection, existing benefits for children were to be bundled and would benefit around 5.6 million children and young people.
The Greens originally envisioned a fundamental reform of the system that would allow future benefits to be paid out by a single office, saving families bureaucracy - but this will not happen, according to the current status.
Improvements for Families Still on the Table
Instead, some improvements to family benefits were announced as part of the agreement on the federal budget in July: From January 1, 2025, child benefit will increase by five euros, and by a further four euros from 2026. The child immediate allowance will also be increased accordingly. At the time, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the FDP explained that these increases would fulfill the children's fundamental protection - at least in terms of benefits.
In the current draft for the 2025 budget, the term "children's fundamental protection" is not mentioned. Family Minister Paus nevertheless emphasized the improvements for children and young people that could result from the 14.4 billion euros for her budget. Her department would thus have 570 million euros more than this year.
The Union,, believing in the stalled reform of the Greens, sees the absence of the children's fundamental protection project in the recent budget plan as a positive sign. Regarding the controversial reform, Green politician Bruno Hoenel admitted that it is not included in the budget draft in its original form.
