Overview
- Johannes Winkel of the Junge Union called for a review of the planned 2027 expansion of the Mütterrente, the pension credit for time spent raising children.
- Bavaria’s social minister Ulrike Scharf rejected any rethink and called the repeated challenge to the benefit disrespectful to mothers.
- Germany’s pension insurer estimates the current cost at about €13.5 billion a year, with further billions expected once the expansion starts in 2027.
- Winkel proposed curbs on civil‑service perks, such as breaking the link between pay and pension raises and setting a time limit on sick pay for officials.
- He also backed shifting tax relief from the current spousal‑splitting model to a family‑splitting approach and warned of a large 2027 budget gap that his party will not fill with new special funds or a looser debt brake.