Schweitzer receives her appointment certificate – Bas picked up her discharge certificate before the appointment

After Bärbel Bas's resignation, the new Labor Minister Alexander Schweitzer (both SPD) received his certificate of appointment. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented the document to the former Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate in Berlin on Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday afternoon, Schweitzer will take his oath of office in the Bundestag. Before that, he took part in a meeting of the Federal Cabinet for the first time.

Before his appointment, Schweitzer assured that he would “do everything he can” to get the planned pension reform off the ground quickly. The final legal text on labor market flexibility also falls under his responsibility.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), who was also present when the certificate of appointment was handed over, is demanding that the new Labor Minister speed up the implementation of the planned reforms from the first day in office. After the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Schweitzer will be working in the ministry “from 11 a.m.,” Merz announced at the German Employers’ Day on Tuesday.

In the struggle over pension reform, Merz made it clear that the draft law should be passed in the cabinet this year and in the Bundestag in the first quarter of 2027. He expects Schweitzer to work “as quickly and as quickly as possible so that we can get the bills that we have agreed on (...) into the cabinet as quickly as possible.” Ideally, the draft bill would have already been agreed upon with the parliamentary groups and states: “If that is achieved this year, then it has done its job.”

The Chancellor and CDU leader criticized the fact that the pension reform draft was not already available. The Pension Commission's proposals have been around since June. “July, August, September, October – that’s already too long for me,” said Merz.

Previously, Minister Bas was responsible for the pension reform law. According to Steinmeier, she was given her discharge certificate before the public appointment. According to reports, Bas did not want to appear in public either when she received her discharge certificate or at the ministry the following day.

On Monday, Bas surprisingly announced her resignation as labor minister and co-party leader. She referred to a bereavement in her family and attacks “from the ranks of the coalition partner”.