State Secretary Lilian Tschan and Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Daryna Marchak.
On 20 November 2024, State Secretary Lilian Tschan welcomed Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Daryna Marchak, to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Their discussions focused on pensions, the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market and policies for longer healthy working lives.
Deputy Minister of Social Policy Marchak expressed her thanks for the dialogue with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the advice provided by the ministry and the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, the body representing the German pension funds. She said they had made a significant contribution to the draft pension reform bill. Parliament is expected to consider the legislation in mid-2025.
The Deputy Minister also emphasised the importance for the labour market of improving the integration and retention of people with disabilities and older people, particularly in light of Ukraine's shortage of skilled labour. She said that there must be a clear rejection of any form of discrimination in the labour market. State Secretary Tschan and Deputy Minister of Social Policy Marchak agreed to focus their joint efforts on addressing these issues and on driving progress.
State Secretary Tschan welcomed the cooperation with Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy: Despite Russia's ongoing war of aggression, Ukraine has shown a remarkable commitment to building a modern welfare state. We recognise the reform efforts of Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy. We will continue to support Ukraine as it moves forward.
As part of an institutional partnership with Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is providing support in important reform processes regarding pensions and policies for people with disabilities, with a view to modernising the welfare state and adapting national legislation to the EU acquis.
The institutional partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy is the second cooperation of this kind between the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and Ukraine. Since the beginning of this year, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, together with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, has been working together with Ukraine's Ministry of Economy in the area of labour market policy. The institutional partnerships' synergies will be explored more fully going forward.