The SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag has defended the traffic light coalition's decision to cut former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's (SPD) office and employees, but not his pension.

The salary is about property claims, said Parliamentary Managing Director Katja Mast on Wednesday in Berlin.

"That's why it's highly questionable constitutionally."

The budget politicians from the SPD, Greens and FDP had previously announced that they wanted to remove privileges for the former head of government (1998 to 2005) and current lobbyist for the Russian energy industry.

The 78-year-old should keep his pension and personal protection.

The Union had previously submitted an application that also included the cancellation of salaries.

Mast emphasized that the coalition would have decided to curtail the Schröder privileges even without the Union's initiative.

"We would have acted either way," she said.

She also said that she would have liked the Union to take a similar approach after Helmut Kohl had left the post of Chancellor.

The CDU politician had come under massive pressure because of his role in a party donation affair.

She would have been happy if the Union had shown more courage at the time, said Mast.

"We have that courage and I think we're doing whatever it takes."

The traffic light coalition does not officially justify the removal of Schröder's privileges with his attitude towards Russia and Putin.

That should make the decision less vulnerable.

Instead, they call on the federal government to ensure that the official appointments of former chancellors “take place in accordance with the ongoing obligations from the office and are not related to status”.

It should be noted that Schröder no longer accepts any obligations from his time as Chancellor.

This also sets standards for the former Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Schröder was Chancellor from 1998 to 2005.

He then took on tasks for the pipeline company Nord Stream, Russia's Gazprom and the energy company Rosneft, among others.

Because he did not distance himself from this after the beginning of the war, the SPD leadership asked him to leave the party.

There are also motions for expulsion from the party.