Federal Minister of Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU) again urged a relaxation of job‑termination protection during a discussion on reforms to the welfare state.
“We are in a labour market that protects workers, and at the same time it blocks the adjustments that are needed” she told the TV channels RTL and ntv at the side of the Munich Security Conference. “If we can talk, for example, about giving managers and well‑paid employees a bit more flexibility while still shielding lower‑income groups, we would create the necessary flexibility to navigate the structural changes we must make. That is something we need to discuss within the coalition”.
Reiche expressed relief over U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks. She said he sent a message of cooperation to Europe and praised the continent. “He pointed out weaknesses that, frankly, we have also identified and are working on. The most important thing is that he strengthened NATO and supported the defence alliance”.
On free trade and multilateral agreements, Reiche said: “Europe is forging ahead and finally signing free‑trade deals that we have long awaited. We spent almost 25 years working on the Mercosur pact, and it is now finalised. We have a free‑trade agreement with India. Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, and the Middle East are all on the agenda, and we should complete them quickly. I do not hear Marco Rubio as saying he rejects trade; he defines it differently and the interests differ. Tariffs harm, and we are seeing the decline in consumption in the United States as well. The issue is a reliable framework, and that is what we must build-both publicly and behind the scenes”.
