As of: March 19, 2024, 7:08 a.m
By: Mark Stoffers
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The CDU wants a radical reform of citizens' money.
The focus is on total objectors.
Open criticism is loud.
But Markus Söder welcomes the proposal.
Update from March 17th, 6:40 p.m.:
The CSU's radical initiative to abolish citizens' money and rename it new basic security is finding open and less open ears in many camps.
The focus is particularly on the stricter sanctions against total objectors.
Critics accuse the CDU of an attack on the welfare state.
So far, her initiative for citizens' money has mainly been advocated by the sister party, and employers are now also supporting the Christian Democrats.
Markus Söder supports the CDU's citizens' money initiative: "We are in total harmony"
One of these advocates in the CSU is party leader Markus Söder.
This is fully behind the CDU's plans for a radical restructuring of citizens' money.
They support the CDU's plans and consider them to be absolutely correct, explained Söder after a CSU board meeting in Munich.
“We have felt for months that the CDU and CSU are really marching in unison.”
When it comes to the controversial citizens' money initiative, CSU Markus Söder sees his party and the CDU in the same position (archive photo).
© IMAGO / Chris Emil Janßen
What is particularly positive is that the CDU has fundamentally changed its course in the past two years, said Bavaria's Prime Minister and declared the Union partner on the CSU course.
That applies to the issue of migration, and it now also applies to citizens' money.
“We have total harmony,” said Söder.
The whole thing is “an offer to the political center”.
CDU plans for citizens' money: In addition to Söder, the employer president also welcomes tightening
Employer President Rainer Dulger welcomed the CDU's plans for a reform and tightening of citizens' benefits, as did Markus Söder.
“We need a fundamental overhaul of the citizen’s money system,” said Dulger to the
German Press Agency
(dpa) in Berlin.
On Monday, the CDU presented its ideas for a radical restructuring of basic security with more binding requirements and sanctions.
The SPD, the Greens, the Left Party, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) and the Workers' Welfare Association had expressed their opposition.
Some of them accused the CDU of attacking the welfare state.
After Söder, Dulger also supported the CDU's proposals for the citizens' benefit reform:
“We have to turn the welfare state upside down,” said Dulger, referring to the CDU’s rumored citizen’s benefit reform in the event of a change of government.
What is needed is an effective welfare state that focuses on those in need and is resistant to abuse.
“I therefore welcome the CDU’s proposals for citizens’ money.” According to their plans, those people who can work should also go to work - otherwise social benefits should be eliminated.
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“We have almost four million people in the citizen’s benefit system who can work – that’s too high.” In order for workers to arrive in companies, the focus must be much more on activating and placing them in work.
Dulger called for citizens' benefit recipients and total refusers to cooperate, "which must also be demanded in practice."
CDU plans want to abolish citizens' money: next dispute over “new basic security” flares up
First report from March 16th, 11:22 a.m.:
Berlin - The debate about citizens' money is entering the next round.
The CDU is once again providing the impetus for this.
The party wants to push for a radical restructuring of citizens' money and thus apparently sharpen its own profile.
A new term is even needed to abolish citizens' money “in its current form” and from now on call it “new basic security”.
CDU wants to abolish citizens' money: Party wants to tackle total objectors with “new basic security”.
“The name 'citizens' money' is misleading and is an expression of the political concept of an unconditional basic income,” is what is said about citizens' money in a draft resolution for a meeting of the Federal Executive Board this Monday, which was first reported in the
Bild
newspaper (March 15th). reported.
“We clearly reject this concept.”
Specifically, the CDU wants, among other things, to make the citizens' money sanctions against total objectors faster, easier and less bureaucratic.
“If a basic security recipient who is able to work refuses work that is reasonable for him without an objective reason (total refuser), it should be assumed in the future that he is not in need,” says the draft, which is available to the German Press Agency.
There should then no longer be a claim to basic security.
The aim is to ensure that children and partners do not suffer from the behavior of such “total refusers”.
CDU wants to abolish citizens' money: The party is in favor of tough sanctions against total objectors
According to the draft resolution, the aim must be to mediate in progress, demands the CDU.
The focus of the job centers should therefore be placed more strongly on “intensive and qualified support for aid recipients”.
Anyone who fails to show up for appointments more than once without an objective reason should not initially receive any benefits - the money withheld should only be paid out when the conversation is resumed.
If there is no longer any contact with the job center after three months, it should be assumed that there is no longer any need for help.
According to the draft, anyone who has assets should not claim the solidarity of the taxpayer community.
Therefore, the waiting period of twelve months should be abolished and an asset check should be carried out from the first day of basic security.
The limits on protective assets should be lowered and the protective assets should be made dependent on the number of years of work.
CDU wants citizens' benefit reform: Strong criticism of the “new basic security” comes from the SPD
SPD parliamentary secretary Katja Mast reacted with sharp words to the CDU's push for a radical reform of citizens' money.
“As a reminder: We decided on citizens’ money with the votes of the CDU.
Because it’s about placing people in good jobs on a long-term basis,” Mast told
Bild am Sonntag
.
She emphasized: “The reform is working.” There have never been more people in work subject to social insurance contributions.
Nobody wants an unconditional basic income in Germany, and there isn't one, emphasized Mast.
Anyone who refuses completely will have their money cut off.
The goal is to find permanent work.
“The CDU doesn’t give a single answer to that,” criticized the SPD politician.
“Instead, it cements long-term poverty for children and parents – how shabby.”
The CDU's planned citizen's benefit reform: SPD leader Klingbeil criticizes the attack on the welfare state
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has also rejected the CDU's demands for comprehensive changes to citizens' money.
He said on Saturday (March 16) in Berlin: “The amount of citizens’ money is determined by a constitutional court decision.
This has now been implemented, with the consent of the Union, by the way.” It is right that the state provides people in need with insurance.
“We need to have other debates than attacks on the welfare state,” he said.
Klingbeil accused the CDU and CSU of playing off economic stability and social security against each other.
The Union's answers for a strong business location include a lower pension and a higher retirement age.
For the SPD, however, social security and economic strength belonged together.
The Greens express harsh criticism of the CDU's initiative for citizens' money
Green parliamentary group leader Haßelmann explained that the CDU's push for citizens' money "completely misses reality".
The major challenge for the economy, crafts and society is the great shortage of skilled workers and workers.
“We have to work on this together instead of talking about how to tighten the conditions for citizens’ money,” she emphasized.
Green party leader Ricarda Lang told the Monday edition of the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
: “The Union is scaremongering on the backs of the most vulnerable.” The traffic light coalition had fulfilled the Federal Constitutional Court’s mandate to “make citizens’ money so that they could live on”.
This also happened with the votes of the Union.
Studies also show that working continues to be worthwhile.
Lang accused the Union of “frontal attacks on the welfare state”.
(with material from dpa)