After more than four hours of deliberations in the coalition committee, the leaders of the CDU/CSU and SPD committed to the rapid implementation of the reform plans and clearly distanced themselves from any political extremism. “We are aware that our democracy is facing a historic test these days,” says a joint message from Union parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei, SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch and CSU regional group leader Alexander Hoffmann to the members of the Bundestag, which is available to the German Press Agency. “We are determined not to leave our country to extremists.”
The coalition agrees that economic growth, secure jobs and social cohesion must be at the center of the coalition's further work program. “That is why the coalition committee discussed all current issues in order to bring the associated projects to a quick conclusion.”
Free: “It was good”
The leaders of the Union and SPD ended their discussions in the evening at around 10 p.m. The main topics of the meeting were the further implementation of the reform projects already approved in July, the 2027 budget, but also the aftermath of the state elections in September, from which the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Left in Berlin emerged as the strongest parties.
As he left the Chancellery, Union parliamentary group leader Frei said of the course of the deliberations: “It was good.” Already in the evening the mood was described by others as “good” and “very constructive”.
First meeting in more than three months
The coalition committee is the most important body of the black-red alliance alongside the cabinet. Before the first meeting of the leadership group in more than three months, the Chancellor called for a new commitment to the agreed reform course, despite the sometimes drastic losses of the CDU/CSU and the SPD in the state elections. He assumes that the coalition agreement and the existing reform package “remain the business basis for the work of the coalition,” said the CDU leader at an event organized by “Handelsblatt” and “WirtschaftsWoche” in Berlin.
The SPD had called for changes to the package after the state elections. For example, the abolition of the pension without deductions after 45 years of contributions goes against the grain. However, it is considered unlikely that far-reaching substantive agreements were made. Even before the meeting it was said that at best a timetable for further action would be agreed upon.
Merz had made it clear that he did not expect the plans to be fully implemented by Christmas. But he hopes “that we will have this all sorted out by spring of next year”. At a closed meeting in Münster at the end of August, the executive boards of the coalition factions agreed to get the entire package through the Bundestag by the end of the year. It contains regulations for the areas of pensions, care, the labor market and taxes.
Aftermath of the elections weighs on the coalition
It had already been announced before the meeting that the aftermath of the elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin would also be discussed. On Tuesday, an AfD politician was elected state parliament president for the first time in Saxony-Anhalt - in a secret ballot. There is a suspicion that he also received votes from the CDU. The SPD is in turmoil because of this.
In the CDU/CSU, on the other hand, there is anger that the SPD may form a coalition with the Left in Berlin. The Berlin Left is viewed by the Union as partly anti-Semitic and left-wing extremist. According to CSU regional group leader Alexander Hoffmann, this contradicts the coalition agreement, which excludes any cooperation with “anti-constitutional” and “anti-democratic” parties.
