The coalition committee of the black-red coalition has gathered today at the Chancellery to discuss a comprehensive reform package. The focus is on cuts to pensions, health, and long-term care, a tax reform, looser labor market rules, and the reduction of regulations for businesses.
The leaders of the CDU, CSU, and SPD aim to pass the much-touted reform package. Succeeding would be enormously important for a coalition that has repeatedly spoken of such a package and was even close to reaching an agreement. But during the final round of negotiations in April at Berlin’s Villa Borsig, a dispute broke out – and the alliance has been suffering from it ever since.
This time, as a lesson learned, the most important issues were supposed to be resolved before the meeting. But the coalition has apparently not fully succeeded, despite weeks of preparatory work by negotiators from the three parties and a preliminary meeting of their top politicians last Sunday.
Source: www.zeit.de
