Lars Klingbeil, Germany’s finance minister and co-chair of the SPD, defended the federal government’s reforms in an ARD summer interview. He did not deny that “there will also be burdens for everyone,” he said on the program “Bericht aus Berlin.” The main reason, he argued, was the reform backlog of the past 20 years: German governments had “delayed reforms for 20 years,” Klingbeil said. The coalition of the CDU, CSU, and SPD is now tackling these reforms to regain budgetary leeway and “get a lot of things in this country back in shape.”
Sick note debate and budget plans
Regarding the planned reform of sick notes, Klingbeil said the implementation in parliament must be done “very pragmatically.” He personally harbors no distrust of employees, but the coalition “agreed on something, and I stand by it.” The new plans have sparked a “highly emotional debate.” His approach: employees would need a certificate for the first day of illness but would not have to get it from a doctor on that first day. Collective bargaining partners or companies should have the option to regulate this as they see fit. The cabinet plans to approve the government’s draft budget for 2027 on Monday. According to the cabinet draft, net borrowing in 2027 is planned at 118.7 billion euros – up from 98 billion euros in 2026. Overall, new debt in 2027 is expected to be just over 200 billion euros.
Austerity course and warning against AfD
In light of looming billion-euro gaps from 2028 onward, Klingbeil announced a stricter austerity course. He said he will demand that every minister add an additional two percent in savings on top of the one-percent cuts already planned. “We must consolidate; there is no way around it,” he said. Regarding the AfD, Klingbeil stated that the party’s convention in Erfurt showed it has “become even more radical.” The AfD is “not good for the country.” Ahead of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt in September, he called on voters to choose the SPD to prevent an AfD minister-president.
Source: www.zeit.de
