Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on coalition partner SPD to lift blockades on reform projects. At an event of the German Banks Association in Berlin, he announced serious talks for the evening. Energy policy, pension reform, and statutory health insurance are in focus.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced criticism of coalition work on Monday at the annual reception of the German Banks Association (BdB) in Berlin. "I expect the Social Democrats to also lift some blockades that we unfortunately have had repeatedly in recent weeks and months," he said. "I will talk very seriously with the coalition partner again this evening."
Merz cited as an example the power plant strategy of Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU). It provides for state funding for new gas power plants to serve as backups for renewable energies. The SPD demands more battery storage instead, while environmental groups criticize the construction. Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) recently warned Reiche against slowing the energy transition: "The expansion of renewable energies must not be stopped."
The chancellor also called for reforms in statutory health insurance to stabilize contribution rates, as well as in pension insurance. "The statutory pension insurance alone will at best still provide basic coverage for old age," Merz stated. He advocated expanding capital-funded occupational and private pension provisions.
