A few days after the bitter defeat of the Christian Democrats in the election in Saxony-Anhalt, CDU general secretary Franziska Hoppermann emphasized that her party was "very willing" to continue the reform course of the black-red coalition. Criticism of the plans is becoming louder. The German Social Association called on the federal government to put planned reforms to the test. The unions also criticized the planned measures in the areas of health, pensions and care as social cuts.
Social security is a crucial issue
The post-election surveys by infratest dimap show that the topic probably had an influence on the voting decision in Saxony-Anhalt. Accordingly, social security played the largest role in the voting decision (25 percent) - ahead of the issues of peace in Europe, the economy and internal security.
Only 13 percent of voters think that the federal government should implement the social reforms in pensions and health as planned, while 59 percent think that the federal government should make corrections.
Klingbeil: “The question of justice takes center stage”
This criticism is also received by the coalition. At the start of the budget week on Tuesday in the Bundestag, Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) acknowledged a loss of trust in the federal government. "If we want to regain trust for the necessary changes, then the question of the justice of the changes must take center stage," he said. “That must be the standard for all decisions.”
The SPD does not want to fundamentally question the reforms either. “To plunge the federal government into chaos now cannot be our approach,” emphasized co-chair Bärbel Bas. But she immediately followed up: “But we still have to change something.” These topics could be about:
Pension after 45 years of contributions
The coalition leaders have agreed to implement the Pension Commission's proposals as a "total work of art" - including the abolition of the pension without deductions after 45 years of contributions. Now the package could still be untied. Labor Minister Bas emphasizes that one should not pursue reform policies against the people.
There is also pressure on this issue from the eastern German states. Significantly more people there are only covered by the statutory pension than in West Germany.
There is still no draft law - but it is unlikely that the abolition will be completely reversed. Rather, there are extensive transitional rules and exceptions. Of course, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has already announced that we have to talk about the question of how to deal with the biographies of people who have been insured for a long time. That's what he always meant, but "perhaps it wasn't expressed clearly enough."
The pension after 45 years of contributions is playing a role again in the Bundestag today: The budget debate is about Labor Minister Bas's budget - at around 201 billion euros, by far the largest item in the draft budget for 2027. The SPD politician promised transitional rules for the abolition of early retirement after 45 years of insurance, but basically stuck to the reform plans.
Sick notes on the first day
Will you need a sick note from your doctor from the first day of absence in the future? If you ask the SPD, this question greatly angered people in Saxony-Anhalt before the election. Merz sent the wrong signals, it is said in the Willy Brandt House: "When people hear that they should work more and longer, be sick less and that things are generally getting tougher, then that creates uncertainty," said Bas recently. She is loyal to the coalition, "but we should ask ourselves again whether that makes sense."
SPD general secretary Tim Klüssendorf said his party only agreed to the coalition committee to prevent the Union's demand for waiting days. "This is a compromise whose effects should simply be re-examined to see if they make sense in view of the broad, critical feedback."
Employers now also fear that the new regulation could backfire - for example, if employees miss the entire week on sick leave instead of one or two days as before.
There is a threat of a billion-dollar hole in long-term care insurance funds - which former Health Minister Nina Warken also wanted to fill by increasing the burden on those without children and making savings on the pensions of caring relatives.
At least with the last proposal, her successor Carsten Linnemann (both CDU) has already announced a correction. “I don’t want to save on caring relatives or my pension,” he said.
He also plans to set up a commission for nursing care reform. This committee, which also includes independent experts and scientists, should “take a fundamental look at the system,” Linnemann told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The aim is to “address the structures in principle”.
Readjustments in these areas are becoming apparent. However, the coalition still needs to find counter-financing. There are also points that still need to be clarified in the rest of the reform catalog, which, according to Warken's draft, provides for further cuts. And there is a desire for more relief for those in need of care with parts that they have to pay themselves.
Expensive refueling
The high fuel prices upset many citizens - calls for a fuel price cap are becoming louder in the federal states with upcoming state elections. A commission of government factions recently rejected this - but the Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig (SPD), in particular is not letting up.
In the northeast, as in Berlin, elections will take place on September 20th. Schwesig wants to remain Prime Minister, but is currently a few percentage points behind the AfD. If she is successful in the election, nothing in the reform debate on the SPD side will happen without Schwesig.
Taxes
This is an issue that the Union definitely wants to reopen: the income tax relief planned by Finance Minister Klingbeil is far too small for them. He wants to relieve families and taxpayers with low and middle incomes of ten billion euros from 2028 - but, for example, he foregoes compensating for the cold progression caused by inflation. This could result in an additional burden for taxpayers with more money.
The Union wants to renegotiate. Klingbeil doesn't want to ignore this, as he repeatedly emphasizes - his group would also like greater relief. But he also says: Then the Union should make proposals for counter-financing. His own - a higher inheritance tax and higher top tax rates - were rejected.
