Volker Geyer, president of the Association of Civil Servants (DBB), has dismissed the idea that civil servants should be added to Germany’s statutory pension scheme. “Including civil servants would solve no problem for the statutory pension” he told the “Frankfurter Rundschau”. “It makes no sense at all and would be vastly more expensive for the state and, ultimately, for taxpayers. That’s why we should keep it a no‑go zone”.
A recent Yougov poll commissioned by the German insurance industry’s umbrella organisation found that 62 % of Germans support expanding the circle of contributors to the statutory pension scheme. Geyer rejects that view, pointing to the 2020 Pension Commission report, which argues that short‑term relief measures would be offset in the long run by significant additional pension obligations.
Geyer also criticises the way social security is burdened by benefits that are not covered by contributions. “In the statutory pension system, for example, the supplements to the basic pension are not financed through contributions”. He says the “mother’s pension” is a fundamentally good idea, but should not be borne solely by contributors. “If policymakers were to admit the situation honestly, the social security system would look far healthier”.