Woidke Advocates for Federal Coverage of DDR Special Pensions

Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke has called for the federal government to assume full responsibility for the payment of special and supplementary pensions associated with former DDR employees. In his statements to the media, Woidke emphasized that the financial burden on the eastern German states due to these pensions has become excessively high, asserting that these costs should fall entirely under federal jurisdiction.

During the existence of the DDR, there were 27 supplementary pension systems tailored to various professional groups. Individuals eligible for these special pensions include former military and police personnel, as well as educators, engineers, scientists, and healthcare professionals from that era.

According to figures from Saxony-Anhalt, eastern German states collectively contributed approximately EUR2.68 billion in 2023 toward these DDR-associated pensions. Initially, the financial responsibilities were split, with the eastern states covering 60% of the costs and the federal government 40%. However, in early 2021, the federal share was increased to 50%.

In the coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD at the federal level, there was a commitment to further relieve the eastern states by adopting an additional ten percentage points of this financial obligation. Last year, Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Reiner Haseloff reiterated calls for more substantial relief for the regional governments.