Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU admitted to noticing signs of growing nervousness within the Federal Government. Speaking to the magazine “Der Spiegel”‘s video format “Spitzengespräch” he linked this tension to both the political climate and current approval ratings.
Dobrindt criticized the internal dynamics among the coalition partners, using the sharply public criticism exchanged between Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) as an example. He questioned whether such disputes needed to be aired publicly, warning that the coalition should not end up defined merely by style accusations. He stressed that while the coalition must engage in substantive discussions, it should not allow itself to drift into a state of silence or continuous procedural disputes.
The Interior Minister also offered a critical assessment of the recent two-day coalition meeting held at Villa Borsig. “I believe they could have accomplished much more in these two days” Dobrindt stated, mentioning that there was a degree of frustration present. He suggested that the preparations would have ideally allowed for greater output. He noted that while some things were “80 percent completed” they still needed final attention, pointing out that several issues remained unresolved on the table.
Admitting that the government has shortcomings regarding both pace and style, Dobrindt conceded that there was an expectation in public perception that had not been fully met. He argued that the coalition needed to move faster, or at least demonstrate faster movement, on certain key topics. Specifically, he contended that progress must be accelerated in central reform areas such as labor market and tax policy.
