On 19 October 2023, State Secretary Dr. Rolf Schmachtenberg held a virtual dialogue with Daria Marchak and Iryna Postolovska, Ukraine’s deputy ministers of social policy, as well as Ukrainian pension experts. State Secretary Schmachtenberg expressed his solidarity with Ukraine.
The talks then focused on bilateral cooperation between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy and on the issue of pensions. The two sides also discussed an administrative partnership between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy as an option of future cooperation. As part of the partnership and the associated technical dialogue, the two ministries will talk about social protection with a focus on pensions, as well as about policies for persons with disabilities. In virtual workshops and/or during a study trip, representatives from the partner organisations will learn from each other and will explore technical issues for their national contexts. For now, the duration of an administrative partnership is one year with the possibility of renewal. State Secretary Schmachtenberg explained: "Thanks to the administrative partnership, future exchange formats, for example, on possible pension reforms in light of challenges posed by demographic change, can have a structured nature and it will be possible to involve the competent public authorities."
State Secretary Schmachtenberg then gave an overview of Germany’s pension system. Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy was especially interested in Germany’s earning points system, which is a crucial element in the calculation of pensions. The Ukrainian side also asked about social benefits for persons with disabilities in Germany. Like Germany’s system, Ukraine’s pension system is based on solidarity and is financed from contributions. The two systems are also confronted with the same challenge: adapting to demographic change. In November, a dialogue with Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Germany’s statutory pension insurance fund, will be held to discuss the issue of pensions in more depth.