Individual professional groups received additional or special pensions in the GDR. The federal and state governments share the costs. Prime Minister Haseloff, however, sees the federal government as more responsible.
Magdeburg
The East German states raised around 2.5 billion euros for the additional and special pensions of the GDR last year. The Ministry of Finance in Saxony-Anhalt gave these figures at the request of the German Press Agency. In this federal state alone, 396 million euros were incurred.
The federal government currently pays 50 percent for the special pension of the GDR
Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) called on the federal government to relieve the states. “Pension law is federal law.” The eastern countries should no longer be “disproportionately burdened to correct construction errors in the unification agreement”. In GDR times there were 27 additional pension systems for individual professional groups, for example from the health service. There were special pensions for members of the German People’s Police, among others. Overall, benefit today several hundred thousand people in Germany from the payments. The benefits were transferred to the statutory pension insurance with reunification. The costs of supplementary pensions were initially borne 60 percent by the eastern German states and 40 percent by the federal government. At the beginning of 2021, the federal government increased its share to 50 Percent.
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As a result, the total burden on the eastern countries in 2021 has fallen somewhat compared to previous years. While around 2.9 billion euros were still due in 2020, it was around 400 million euros less in 2021. A total burden of around 2.5 billion euros was last incurred for the eastern countries ten years ago, since then expenditure has increased every year. The traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP in the federal government has the topic in mind, but the coalition agreement remains vague in terms of further relief. On the other hand, the plans for a hardship fund to close gaps in justice resulting from the transfer of GDR pensions to the pension system are more concrete.
Haseloff welcomes hardship funds
In the GDR, divorced people, caring relatives or helping family members in handicraft businesses could benefit from this. Such a one-off payment is also being discussed for Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union and late resettlers. The federal and state governments are currently still in talks. Haseloff welcomes plans for a hardship fund. “However, a justice fund should also be set up.” Certain professional groups from the areas of “technical intelligence” or freelance artists should not be left out of consideration again. The federal government must also finance the justice fund, he demanded. “We need to untie this Gordian knot quickly – the issue cannot be debated forever.”
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