Bätzing warns: Social reforms must be fair and responsible!

Bätzing warns: Social reforms must be fair and responsible!

In the current debate about social reforms in Germany, Georg Bätzing, the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, has found clear words. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, he demands that fairness must be the focus of social policy measures. Bätzing emphasizes that promises that cannot be kept could endanger cohesion as well as strengthen the government's critics. “We have to find solutions with a sense of proportion,” said Bätzing, who also emphasized the need to maintain a firewall against the AfD and avoid signals of cooperation with this party, as Deutschlandfunk reports.

Another point that concerns Bätzing is the discussion about compulsory military service. The Catholic bishops express skepticism about the reintroduction of general conscription and compulsory military service. Instead, they are clearly in favor of voluntary models in order to give young people more freedom.

Conscription: A hot potato

Conscription remains a hot potato in politics. Voices from the Green Youth warn of “new pressures for young people”. Jakob Blasel, the federal spokesman, criticizes that the new draft law, which is intended to emphasize voluntariness, could ultimately create the basis for mass military service. Instead, he is calling for more money and places for volunteers in disaster control and climate protection, since hybrid warfare cannot only be combated through military means, says Blasel, as Spiegel further reports.

The Defense Ministry plans to send a questionnaire to all young people of military age from 2026, with men required to fill it out while women have the option to do so voluntarily. From 2028, all 18-year-old men will be invited to the mandatory examination to check their health suitability. These measures are no coincidence: advice centers for conscientious objection report a huge increase in inquiries, especially among young people. In August, the DFGVK recorded almost 55,000 hits on its website, a notable increase compared to previous months.

The voice of youth remains in demand

It is clear that youth voices need to be heard in this debate. Youth associations are calling for greater participation of young people in political decision-making processes. The BDKJ is committed to strengthening voluntary military service and has already launched an online petition to encourage more participation of young people in shaping military service. As the debate over conscription continues to simmer, it remains to be seen how policymakers will respond and which model will ultimately be chosen.

There are also urgent demands in the international arena. With regard to the Gaza war, the Catholic bishops urgently appeal to the Israeli government to end the violence and allow humanitarian aid for Palestinians. At the same time, Hamas is called upon to release all hostages, which shows that the issues of peace and social justice are closely intertwined, as also discussed by Deutschlandfunk.