A senior official of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has cautioned the country’s Labor Minister, Bärbel Bas of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), against rushing the reform of the citizen’s allowance, a social welfare program. Carsten Linnemann, the CDU’s general secretary, emphasized the need for a thorough and well-planned reform, warning that a hasty approach would be counterproductive.
The CDU official emphasized the complexity of the system, highlighting the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the transfer rates, interfaces with other systems and the integration of the housing allowance. He stated that a social welfare reform of this magnitude would take at least a year to implement and that the CDU would only begin the process in the spring.
Linnemann described the reform as the most significant social welfare reform since the Agenda 2010 and stressed the importance of delivering a successful outcome. He pointed out that over 200,000 citizens receiving the allowance are capable of working immediately and that the current system of shifting them from one program to another without achieving tangible results is inefficient.
The CDU official also criticized the current system, arguing that it is unfair and allows some individuals to abuse the system by refusing job offers and instead relying on the allowance. He suggested that the state should assume that someone who can work and repeatedly rejects job offers is not in need of assistance and that the allowance should be revoked in such cases.
Linnemann’s remarks highlighted the widespread public concern about the citizen’s allowance, which has become a hot topic of discussion in Germany. He acknowledged that the issue is a major point of contention, with many people using the allowance as a means of avoiding work and that this perception is a key part of the problem. The CDU official emphasized the need for a more just and effective system, which would focus on supporting those who truly need assistance and encouraging those who can work to do so.