What the end of the traffic light means for ministers’ pensions
Published: Saturday, Nov 9th 2024, 08:20
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Many "traffic light" ministers will not have been in office for a full legislative period of four years when the government ends. Most of them will still be entitled to a pension, i.e. the pension for federal ministers, because special rules apply in the event of a vote of confidence.
Should the Federal Chancellor be censured, the Federal Ministers Act stipulates that "uninterrupted membership of the Federal Government for more than two years" is sufficient for the full pension. Only Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has not yet completed these two years. He was sworn in to the Bundestag on January 19, 2023.
However, the exemption does not apply to FDP ministers who have been dismissed or have left the government themselves - i.e. Christian Lindner, Marco Buschmann and Bettina Stark-Watzinger. Buschmann confirmed this in the newspaper "Welt am Sonntag": "The exception does not apply in my case. This means that I have no entitlement to a pension."
For federal ministers, the same standard retirement age applies as for federal civil servants, i.e. a gradual increase to 67. According to the Taxpayers' Association, the pension paid until the end of life amounts to 4,990 euros for four years in office - and increases with each additional year as a member of government up to a maximum of 12,908 euros per month.
©Keystone/SDA
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