German coalition discusses reforms, decision still pending
Union and SPD discussed their political planning for four hours, but made no substantive agreements public that night.
Germany’s coalition parties CDU, CSU and SPD discussed their reform agenda again on Wednesday evening for the first time since the summer. After around four hours of talks, participants said the atmosphere was good, but no concrete decisions had yet been announced.
The talks took place at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin and ended shortly after 22:00. According to Deutschlandfunk, the parties discussed, among other things, a timetable for further implementing reforms. The government was expected to publish the results in writing on Thursday.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz had called beforehand for renewed confirmation of the reform course. He said the coalition agreement and the package agreed in July would remain the basis for the government’s work. At the same time, he did not expect the full package to have been considered by parliament before Christmas.
The package covers pensions, healthcare, the labour market and taxation, among other areas. The coalition partners do not agree on every element. According to Deutschlandfunk, the SPD wants to prevent reforms from resulting primarily in cuts. Within the Union, there is instead opposition to a higher tax on sugary drinks proposed by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil.
The results of three state elections in September also weighed on the talks. According to German media, CDU and SPD suffered heavy losses there. The election of an AfD politician as president of the parliament of Saxony-Anhalt may also have played a role, with CDU votes presumably needed.
The talks are relevant to the Netherlands because Germany is the European Union’s largest economy, and reforms there could affect the labour market, industry and fiscal policy. For now, the main point is that the coalition wants to retain the existing reform package. How the measures will be amended, financed and steered through the Bundestag remains open.
The outcome therefore points primarily to political planning, rather than a new legislative decision. The written agreements due in the coming days should clarify which issues will come first and whether Union and SPD can narrow their differences over the distribution of costs.
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The duration, participants and topics discussed were checked against Tagesschau and Deutschlandfunk. The text reflects the fact that the written outcome was not yet known.
- confirmed The German coalition talks lasted around four hours. — Reported by Tagesschau. source
- confirmed The coalition discussed a timetable for reforms. — Reported by Deutschlandfunk. source
- confirmed The reform package covers pensions, healthcare, the labour market and taxation, among other areas. — Described in reporting on the earlier coalition package. source
- confirmed Concrete decisions had not yet been made public at 06:34. — Deutschlandfunk reported that the results would follow later in writing. source
Editor's note
It is established that the coalition leaders met and discussed reforms. Concrete agreements had not yet been made public at 06:34; possible political consequences have therefore been phrased cautiously.Sources
- Vier Stunden – dann ist der Koalitionsausschuss zu Ende — Tagesschau
- Union und SPD sprechen im Koalitionsauschuss über Zeitplan für Reformen — Deutschlandfunk
- Zeitstrahl: Reformen für die Zukunft Deutschlands — Bundesregierung Duitsland