On Wednesday, the FDP is expected to approve Pension Package II after a delay. A new draft resolution for the Liberal Party Presidency will appear on Monday. The paper puts pensions, citizens’ benefits and overtime to the test – and threatens to split the traffic light again.

“I assume that we can register pension package II for the cabinet next Wednesday,” says an SPD spokeswoman about the planned traffic light approach. Robert Habeck’s Ministry of Economic Affairs adds that the approach was “agreed to a week ago.” Only in the FDP is it “still unclear” whether there will be approval after the package had already wobbled last week.

Now the traffic light’s pension plans are threatened with new trouble – again this comes from the ranks of the FDP. A draft resolution for the Liberal party executive committee, which “ Bild ” reports on, puts not only pensions, but also taxes, citizens’ benefits and expenses under complete scrutiny. On Sunday, the FDP’s pension policy spokesman had already opposed the pension at 63 and called for restrictions.

In the paper, the FDP warns that the German social system could lead to “threatening burdens”. The state budget should not continue to be overburdened with social spending; also in order to “not further undermine confidence in Germany as a location,” it is said. Then comes the warning that such an approach has already led countries to “national insolvency”.

When it comes to pensions, the party speaks of “false incentives that we cannot afford”. The system is primarily at the expense of younger generations of contributors. The only hope to change that: a “real” stock pension, which could “even increase pension levels again in the long term,” as “Bild” reports.

The paper argues similarly about citizens’ money. There are currently incentives to live on citizens’ money because work is “simply not worth it financially”. Since Germany needs all citizens on the labor market, the FDP is calling for more scope for stricter sanctions against those who refuse to work, which can extend to a complete cancellation of benefits.

The Liberals also tackle the issue of overtime in their paper. In order to “create new prosperity” and strengthen companies and skilled workers, the party wants to re-regulate the taxation of overtime. Several hours of overtime and overtime bonuses should therefore be completely tax-free – according to the plan, companies and employees should benefit from this.

The debt brake is also a topic of the paper. According to “Bild”, it must “also be adhered to in 2025”, demanding that savings be made. The appeal: “All federal ministers must take part and prioritize within their professional competence and leverage possible synergies.” If this does not happen, no more money can flow abroad, so that Germany would no longer be one of the largest donors of development aid.

The background to the paper is the forecast increase in pension contributions from the current 18.6 percent to 22.3 percent in 2035 and the increase in the health insurance contribution from an average of 16.3 percent to 18.8 percent. This was the result of a report commissioned by the government from the WHU University of Economics in Düsseldorf. The care contribution should also increase from the current level of up to 4 percent to up to 5.7 percent. Assuming a monthly gross of 3,000 euros, this means additional expenses of up to 118.50 euros.

The attacks on pensions by the FDP and the Union have “become a tiring ritual,” said SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert to the “Tagesspiegel”. Abolishing the current rules of pension law “would mean a pension cut for millions of employees,” he said.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and SPD party leader Saskia Esken had previously rejected cuts for pensioners.

Green parliamentary group vice-president Konstantin von Notz criticized the FDP’s demand for compliance with the 2025 debt brake in the “Tagesspiegel”. “In times when our freedom is under as much pressure as it is currently from an aggressive Russia and extremists of all stripes, we have to rely on certainties Put the debt brake in its current form to the test,” he said.