Negotiations continue regarding planned reforms to Germany’s social welfare system, despite ongoing debates between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) concerning the agreed-upon phase-out of the “Bürgergeld” system.
Thorsten Frei, Head of the Chancellery, expressed confidence in reaching a consensus with the SPD during an interview with the television network “Welt”. He acknowledged further discussions are needed within the governing coalition, emphasizing the intention to find solutions collaboratively rather than through conflict.
Frei’s optimism stems from existing agreements outlined in the coalition treaty. The treaty stipulates the current “Bürgergeld” system will be dismantled and replaced with a newly designed basic security framework. He further indicated changes to “reasonableness regulations” will be implemented, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of individuals receiving support, moving away from the current figures of approximately 5.6 to 5.7 million recipients.
