Reformpoker: Coalition committee ends meeting after four hours

The leaders of the Union and SPD ended their discussions in the coalition committee after about four hours. At 10:08 p.m., CSU leader Markus Söder left the Chancellery, a minute later SPD leader Lars Klingbeil. The results will not be announced until Thursday morning - probably in writing, the German Press Agency learned from coalition circles. The main topics of the meeting were the further implementation of the reform plans. The mood was described as “good” and “very constructive”, but the course of the meeting was also described as “not spectacular”.

Before the meeting, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) called for a new commitment to the agreed reform course, despite the partly drastic losses suffered by the CDU/CSU and the SPD in the three state elections in September. He assumes that the coalition agreement and the reform package approved in July “remain the business basis for the work of the coalition,” said the CDU leader at an event organized by “Handelsblatt” and “WirtschaftsWoche” in Berlin.

Merz also emphasized that he does not expect the reform package 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 was approved by the coalition committee in July and contains regulations for 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 Union, however, 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.