Overview

• Brandenburg’s Minister President Dietmar Woidke demands that the federal government cover the full cost of all 27 GDR special and supplementary pension schemes.
• East German states spent about €2.68 billion on these pensions in 2023, straining regional budgets.
• Former employees of the army, police, educators, engineers, scientists and doctors are eligible for the GDR pension schemes.
• States originally covered 60 percent of costs and the federal government 40 percent before the federal share rose to 50 percent in early 2021.
• The Union and SPD coalition agreement includes a provision to raise the federal contribution by an additional 10 percentage points.