The German Association of Districts has rejected the proposal by Federal Minister of Labor Bärbel Bas (SPD) that civil servants should also pay into the statutory pension funds in the future.

"Necessity is the mother of invention, but it is not always the best advisor," said its president, District Administrator Achim Brötel, to the "Tagesspiegel" (Wednesday edition). Civil servants, especially in leadership positions in public administration, are absolute top performers, Brötel continued. "In this respect, we certainly have no interest in making civil servant status less attractive by imposing financial losses on pension insurance," said the head of the interest group. Bas had recently called for MPs and the self-employed to be allowed to pay into the statutory pension funds in addition to civil servants.

The minister aims to relieve the increasingly strained pension system while simultaneously reducing government spending. In 2022, the federal, state, and local governments spent a total of around 61 billion euros on civil servant pensions and survivors' benefits. Bas's coalition partner immediately rejected the proposal. "I can't find any evidence of this in the coalition agreement," said Chancellor's Office Chief Thorsten Frei (CDU) on the ARD program "Caren Miosga." He called the proposal "not a viable financing model." Achim Brötel also criticized the move: "Especially in times of an increasingly noticeable shortage of skilled workers, we need impulses to further enhance the value of work in the public sector," said the President of the German Association of Districts.