The bill from the Union and SPD proposes that Bundestag members’ salaries will not increase as usual in 2026. The automatic adjustment to wage growth, scheduled for July 1, is to be suspended once. Zeit reports this, citing the parliamentary debate.
During the first reading late Thursday evening, the opposition factions of the AfD, Greens, and Left Party also spoke in favor of the waiver. Helge Limburg, the legal policy spokesperson for the Greens, called the decision “the right signal in these difficult times.” AfD parliamentary manager Stephan Brandner stressed that citizens would have no understanding for a raise. The Left Party had previously criticized the level of salaries and especially the pension provisions; many of its MPs regularly donate parts of their salaries to social causes.
Currently, the 630 MPs receive €11,833 per month. Due to a nominal wage increase of 4.2 percent last year, the amount would have automatically risen by €497 to €12,330. The official vote on the bill is scheduled for the week after next.
EuroPulse reported on June 11, 2026, about the debate on a new heating law in the Bundestag, where the legacy of the traffic-light coalition was to be overturned (https://europulse.today/bundestag-debattiert-neues-heizungsgesetz/).
Source: www.zeit.de
