Johannes Winkel, the chairman of the Junge Union (JU), is raising the stakes in the debate over social reforms, thereby intensifying pressure on coalition partner SPD. In an interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”, he pointed out that the SPD has already made two significant concessions-an emergency fund for infrastructure and a pension package. “Because of these financial commitments, the expectation from the public is that this year will bring comprehensive reforms” Winkel said.
The JU chief argued that the welfare state must be made more efficient. “If we apply a sustainability factor and set clear priorities, we could save dozens of billions a year on social benefits that many people either do not need or do not want”. By reinserting the sustainability factor into the pension insurance and extending it to other social insurance schemes, a “fair distribution of burdens” between generations could be achieved. “We need to abandon the ‘flood‑gallon’ principle” he criticized. “Only a very small group of mothers benefit from the maternity pension, and those are the poorest mothers who are already subsidised by social benefits. That’s absurd”. He cautioned that the government should not fear imposing obligations on people, as long as these burdens are distributed fairly.
When asked about the Mittelstandsunion’s demand to scrap the right to part‑time work, Winkel declined. “We should focus on creating incentives that encourage people to move from part‑time to full‑time employment”. He added that the Junge Union supports developing a genuine family‑splitting tax system, replacing the current married‑couple splitting. “The tax rate would be tied to the number of children, which would make it attractive to have many children while also working full time”. In the current demographic and economic climate, he said, “we must pursue both goals simultaneously”.