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Gerhard Schröder sues the Bundestag: Former Chancellors are entitled to do so

2022-08-12T15:39:27.338Z


Gerhard Schröder's office received more than 400,000 euros last year just for staff. In the dispute over these special rights, the gas lobbyist is now taking action against the Bundestag. What former chancellors are actually entitled to.


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Gerhard Schröder in the Bundestag: three million euros since 2016

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Kay Nietfeld / dpa

It's another eventful week for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

First, an SPD sub-district decided that the 78-year-old should not be expelled from the party despite his connections to Russia.

On Friday it became known that Schröder is suing the Bundestag for the restoration of his special rights, which were revoked in May.

And when it comes to special rights, it's about hundreds of thousands of euros.

At least last year it was more than 400,000 euros that flowed from the state treasury to Schröder's office just for personnel expenses.

This is another reason why there are clear reactions to the lawsuit: CSU General Secretary Martin Huber, for example, called the demand on Twitter "brazen".

Schröder has lost all sense of decency, Huber wrote.

But what are former chancellors entitled to?

Claims for benefits are regulated by law.

They can consist of various tasks during the political career:

  • from the length of membership in the Bundestag,

  • from working as a federal or state minister,

  • as prime minister

  • and as chancellor.

The various claims are partly offset against each other.

The Members of Parliament Act applies to membership of the Bundestag, according to which members of parliament can be entitled to up to 65 percent of the members' remuneration, depending on the length of time.

The Federal Ministers Act applies to membership of the federal government.

According to the Taxpayers' Association, a government member's pension can be up to around 12,000 euros a month.

All former chancellors and former federal presidents are actually entitled to an office.

Office management, speaker positions, typists and drivers are financed.

The offices were previously made available for life and could exist for decades.

More than three million euros for Schröder since 2016

Angela Merkel, who was in office from 2005 to 2021, receives a monthly pension of around 15,000 euros according to a calculation by the taxpayers' association.

When the former chancellor moved into her new office a few months ago, she was given nine employees with salaries of up to 10,000 euros.

According to the federal government, more than three million euros have been paid to Schröder (1998 to 2005) since 2016.

In May, the Budget Committee of the Bundestag decided to eliminate Schröder's existing staff and offices.

Formally, the office of the former Federal Chancellor is thus put on hold.

According to the law firm representing Schröder in his lawsuit, the decision is unlawful.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) welcomed the decision in May as "logical".

The budget committee of the Bundestag decided in 2019 that former chancellors should only have five employees.

However, this only applies to the time after the incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

In spring, the traffic light coalition generally reorganized the alimony of former Chancellors and Federal Presidents and made it dependent on whether they actually still take on tasks related to their former office, such as having patronage and giving speeches.

hba/dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-08-12

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