The new year should be the year of the socio-political superlatives of the traffic light coalition: On January 1, the regulations on citizen income came into force, which replaces the previous basic security "Hartz IV" - the "biggest social reform in 20 years", according to Labor and Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) proudly proclaimed.

But Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens) is competing with him.

Soon she wants to present cornerstones for basic child security.

It is about "the most important socio-political project of this federal government," Paus publicly announces.

More than 150 family policy services are to be bundled and the opportunities for children improved.

The family minister envisages a “real paradigm shift” in the fight against child poverty.

Katja Gelinsky

Business correspondent in Berlin

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In Christian Lindner's (FDP) Ministry of Finance, the Green Minister's zest for action is viewed with skepticism.

Lindner's experts see in the design of the basic child security "the considerable risk that the work incentives for low-skilled workers will be impaired for good reasons," as they write in an internal paper that the FAZ recently reported on.

It warns that the different transfer payments in Paus' prestige object must be coordinated in such a way "that the incentives to work are further strengthened".

Lindner and Paus on a confrontation course

These, in turn, are buzzwords for social organizations that are outraged at the social indifference and child hostility of those who see the family policy reform plans critically.

The associations are calling for more redistribution through basic child security.

Paus has the same goal: “Family with low income should get more money for their children.” Lindner, on the other hand, sees “after a decade of distribution policy” that the time has come for a regulatory trend reversal.

Conflicts between the coalition partners about basic child security are already inevitable.

But it's not just about differences of opinion about what the welfare state can and should do.

The core question of content, how children affected by poverty can best be helped, is embedded in a network of organizational problems that Paus has to get a grip on.

The “interministerial working group on basic child security” has been doing preliminary work for this since the end of March.

Under the auspices of the Ministry for Family Affairs, the departments of finance, justice, labour, education as well as construction and interior affairs were involved.

Interfaces and interactions with the services of other ministries, such as the reformed housing benefit, must be identified and taken into account for the concept of basic child security.

The following transfer payments for children and young people are then to be brought together under the umbrella of the future basic child security system: child benefit, benefits from the basic income if they affect children, parts of the education and participation package and the child allowance for families with low incomes, but so far only around apply for one third of the beneficiaries.