""We don't want to erase it, we don't want to abolish it," Merz said. "But we want to preserve the most important aspects of it, and that means we need to reform it.""
"SPD co-leader and Labor Minister Barbel Bas, who days earlier said it was "bullshit" to suggest Germany could not afford its welfare state, said she and Merz were "on the same course." "The debate, which was a matter of public record, was about finding a position and bringing some clarity," she added."
""I want to avoid the normal budgetary process for 2027 involving night-long coalition meetings and public disputes, should there be any at any point," said Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. Klingbeil, who is also a co-leader of the SPD, said the coalition aims to make political decisions quickly and jointly."
Chancellor Friedrich Merz called parts of the welfare system unaffordable and proposed reforms rather than abolition, while pledging to preserve its core elements. The CDU/CSU and SPD leaders reported unity and a shared aim to agree on reform proposals within the year. SPD co-leader and Labor Minister Barbel Bas rejected claims that Germany could not afford its welfare state and said she and Merz were on the same course. Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil urged unified political leadership to draft the difficult 2027 budget, seeking to avoid protracted, public coalition disputes and to make decisions quickly and jointly.
Read at www.dw.com
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