Craftsmen President Jörg Dittrich has called on the Federal Government to make swift decisions, emphasizing that concrete decisions are urgently needed for a comprehensive reform package covering social security, taxes, and the labor market. Speaking to the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers, Dittrich stated that realizing a clear plan of action within the coalition committee, and moving beyond fragmented, individual reform proposals, would be a significant achievement. He warned that significant changes are inevitable regardless of who drives them, questioning whether the political sphere will design these reforms or if they will emerge solely from inaction.
In a move aiming to include input from employers and unions, the CDU/CSU and SPD parties plan to agree on a reform package that encompasses taxes, the labor market, pensions, and the reduction of bureaucracy before the summer recess. This collective agreement was reached by the government parties during a session of the coalition committee on Tuesday evening.
While Dittrich acknowledged that it was good that the parties agreed to a cooperative process for profound reforms, he criticized the pace. He noted that this collaborative approach is far better than the recent “hasty quick-fixes” such as the so-called “relief premium”. Nevertheless, he added that after a year in government, the coalition should have made much more progress, reminding the public that the significant need for reform and the pressure to act had been evident from the outset.
