SPD Parliamentary Chief Dirk Wiese has urged Family Minister Karin Prien (CDU) not to cut the parental allowance (Elterngeld) when making reductions in her budget, instead suggesting cuts should be made elsewhere. Wiese told the “Rheinische Post” that the parental allowance is extremely important for many young families and recalled that it was implemented in 2007 as a collaborative effort to support families in Germany. However, he acknowledged that the federal government must implement public spending cuts, stating that this is not a secret but a definite fact.
Wiese emphasized that the responsibility for deciding where Minister Prien’s ministry makes its cuts, and what her priorities are, rests with her. He would certainly welcome any findings that her portfolio contains savings potential outside of the parental allowance scheme. Furthermore, a coalition working group is currently intensely examining which subsidies and tax incentives could potentially be reduced. Wiese concluded that it will soon be clear which subsidies remain relevant and sensible, and whether they can reach the necessary savings targets through broad cuts.
