Dissatisfaction in the Union over Bärbel Bas's pension proposal

Berlin. The proposal by Labor and Social Affairs Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) to include civil servants in the statutory pension insurance system has caused discontent among the CDU/CSU coalition partners. "Including the self-employed and civil servants in the pension system neither solves the problems in the pension insurance system, nor is it covered by the coalition agreement," CSU state parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann told "Bild am Sonntag."

Bas had told the Funke Media Group newspapers that the revenues of the statutory pension insurance system needed to be improved. "Civil servants, members of parliament, and the self-employed should also contribute to the pension insurance system." Hoffmann countered: "Ms. Bas should not try to dictate old SPD ideas as the future outcome to the pension commission."

In their coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and SPD agreed to establish a reform commission to address the strained pension system. This system is increasingly being overwhelmed by the declining number of contributors and the simultaneous rise in the number of pensioners. The coalition agreement does not contain any substantive guidelines on how the system should be reformed.

RND/dpa