The regularly scheduled Federal Cabinet meeting, typically held on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., has been cancelled next week on August 5th. Our editorial team learned of this in Berlin on Thursday. Although there was initial uncertainty about whether a replacement date would be set within the same week, that is considered unlikely.
This cancellation follows a particularly intense Wednesday for the Chancellor, which involved the cabinet meeting, dismissals and appointments of ministers, and a special session of the Union faction. Consequently, the Chancellor has decided to take a vacation for the time being.
Government spokesperson Steffen Kornelius had previously told the dts news agency last week that the Chancellor would have “a few free days” following the intense week and would conduct his official duties from there. While he did not specify the location or the duration of the leave, Kornelius made it clear that Merz would not be in Berlin. The spokesperson emphasized, however, that the Chancellor remains “always on duty.”
According to Kornelius, a specific “Cabinet schedule” has been created for the summer break. He noted that a Cabinet meeting could sometimes be led by the Chancellor’s deputy, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD). However, this will likely not happen next week. Moreover, in recent months, Klingbeil has not always taken over meetings when the Chancellor had scheduling difficulties; instead, Cabinet sessions have sometimes been moved from their traditional Wednesday slot to a different day of the week.
