The coalition has apparently reached an agreement on two major pieces of legislation – a reform of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS) and the Tariff Fidelity Act. According to the “Focus” newspaper, citing coalition insiders, both laws are expected to be passed in the Bundestag this week. The parties had been at odds for months; the SPD tied its approval of the GEAS reform to a decision on the Tariff Fidelity Act. As part of the compromise, the Act will exempt single delivery services from its provisions to reduce bureaucracy. The GEAS reform also includes a measure allowing refugees to start working earlier, a change announced by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU over the weekend.
Movement appears to be underway on other policy items as well. The Citizen’s Income Reform for the New Basic Security is slated for passage next week, according to Union circles. Additionally, key points of the heating law are set to be presented in the coming days, with several rounds of negotiations scheduled for the end of the week.
