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THE STATE & POLITICS
TOPIC
ACTIVE POLITICS
“Shaping Germany’s Future” is the title the
minimum wage of EUR 8.50 valid for all sec-
coalition parties chose for their four-year
tors was introduced for the first time; it will be
government programme. This shaping of
reviewed regularly by a commission compris-
the future includes budget planning, which
ing representatives of the trade unions and
on a long-term basis avoids requiring any
entrepreneurs. Around 4 million people bene-
new debt. This is intended to ensure Germany
fit from this new statutory minimum wage.
enjoys political freedom of action, even in
times of economic crisis. With its objective
The introduction of a quota for women in
of a balanced budget, which in both 2014
large stock corporations likewise had wide-
and 2015 it indeed achieved, the Federal
spread political support in parliament and
Government considers itself responsible for
the general public. From 2016, women must
monetary stability and wishes to be a role
account for at least 30 percent of the mem-
model for its partners in the Eurozone.
bers of these companies’ supervisory boards,
whereby the new regulation applies to 108
In the case of some of the government’s major
publicly listed firms that fall within the am-
projects, there is support, in principle at least,
bit of the German co-determination laws. In
from far beyond the coalition parties CDU/
future, a further 3,500 companies will have
CSU and SPD. In early 2015, for example, a
to set themselves binding goals for increasing
the proportion of women in executive positions. According to the German Institute for
Economic Research (DIW), at the end of 2014
NUMBER
0 euros
was what Germany’s federal budget
deficit came to in 2014. While expenditure totalled 2 96,500 million euros,
revenue amounted to 296,500 million
euros. This was an historic achievement
on the part of the ruling Grand Coalition. For the first time in 45 years –
since the 1969 budget – central government assumed no new debt.
→ bundeshaushalt-info.de
the share of women on the advisory boards of
the 200 largest companies was 18.4 percent,
meaning there is still ground to be made up.
The social policy projects in the current
legislature include a “pension reform package”, which among other things contains a
mothers’ pension that improves the social security of mothers who raised children born
before 1992. A key part of the pension package
is retirement at the age of 63. Since 1 July 2014
those people who have paid contributions into
the state pension scheme for at least 45 years