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Welfare state in crisis: What will happen in the autumn of the reforms?
On September 15, 2025, experts in Berlin will discuss the reform of the welfare state and current challenges.
Welfare state in crisis: What will happen in the autumn of the reforms?
The upcoming episode of “hart aber fair” on Monday, September 15, 2025, at 9:00 p.m. will be all about the future of the welfare state in Germany. It promises to be a lively discussion, bringing together prominent guests on the topic of the costs of the welfare state. The guests include Thorsten Frei (CDU), Matthias Miersch (SPD) and Ricarda Lang (Alliance 90/The Greens), who will share their perspectives on this pressing issue. There will also be insights from Stella Pazzi, managing partner of the software company Moltomedia, and Katja Kipping, managing director of “Der Paritätische”. Marcus Weichert from the Dortmund job center will also take part in the discussion. Cityreport reports on the challenges that the federal government wants to address in the upcoming “autumn of reforms”.
The rumor mill is currently bubbling in the political landscape because Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced reforms to compensate for an expected deficit of over 170 billion euros in financial planning by 2029. The pressure on the coalitions is increasing, especially given the growing unemployment rate, which has reached a sad peak of 3.025 million. ZDF today emphasizes that increasing spending in the area of defense and the challenges of an aging society in particular require additional action.
The challenges of the welfare state
A central topic of the debate will be the reform of citizens' money, which is budgeted at 52 billion euros in the federal budget for 2025. This corresponds to 8% of the budget and is due to the increasing number of citizens' benefit recipients, among other things because of the 700,000 Ukrainian refugees. The coalition partners have also agreed on stricter sanctions for those who refuse to work and a priority for job placement, which makes the discussion about social security even more intense.
Another hot topic is the pension fund. In 2023, the German pension insurance spent almost 380 billion euros, with more than three quarters being covered by contribution income. Nevertheless, it is clear that the average pension of currently 1,093 euros per month is not enough to secure the standard of living of many pensioners. A pension package worth billions has been approved, but here too there is a great need for discussion about the future of pensions in Germany. WDR reports on the possible increase in pension contributions from 18.6% to over 20% by 2029.
An “Autumn of Reforms”?
If economic analyzes are to be believed, Germany as a location is under strong pressure for change. Economists warn of an “outdated top athlete” who urgently needs to be repositioned. Demographic developments show that by 2040 there will be more than 40 people over 67 for every 100 people of working age. An extension of working life is therefore repeatedly discussed in order to alleviate the pressure on the social security systems.
It remains to be seen whether the coming reforms in the welfare state will bring the hoped-for relief. One thing is clear, however: The discussions about pension reform, citizens' money and the creation of a more sustainable system will come to the screen on Monday from 9:00 p.m. Anyone interested in the discussion can join in either on TV or via the [homepage of “hart aber fair”](www.hartaberfair.de).