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CDU and CSU politicians want to cut child benefit for kids living elsewhere in the EU

Politicians from Germany's conservative CDU and CSU want child benefit for children living in other EU countries tied to local living costs. It would take new EU law.

1 min read
A parent holding a child's hand while looking at a folder of family benefit paperwork on a kitchen table.
Image: DIE WELT

Germany pays child benefit, called Kindergeld, to families whose children live in other EU countries. Now politicians from the conservative CDU and CSU want that to change.

Their argument: Germany is the "main exporter of child benefit to the EU abroad", with almost 300,000 children affected, according to the headline of the report. They want the payment adjusted to living costs in the country where the child lives.

What stands in the way?

Germany can't do this on its own. In 2022, the European Court of Justice ruled that Austria's version of this, which indexed family benefits to local living costs, broke EU law. That left Germany unable to adjust Kindergeld without changes to EU rules.

That is why the CDU and CSU politicians are calling for a change to EU law itself. No such change has been agreed so far.

#kindergeld#cdu#csu#eu law#child benefit
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Story timeline

Child benefit paid abroad within EU dispute · 3 updates

See the full timeline →
  1. EU Commission challenges Austria's indexed child benefit before the ECJ
  2. EU court rules Austria's indexed child benefit for children abroad unlawful
  3. CDU and CSU politicians want to cut child benefit for kids living elsewhere in the EU

What happened before and after this story. Background events not previously covered were summarised by AI.

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