Markus Söder, chairman of the CSU, wants the black‑red coalition’s reforms to move faster than originally planned. He says key decisions should be wrapped up by Pentecost, and he urges the government to speed up the entire process. “The situation is as serious as ever” he told “Der Stamm”. “The war in the Middle East and the changing global economy force us to pick up the pace”.
Initially, the coalition had aimed to finish the work before the parliamentary summer break. Söder found that window too slow and insisted that everything must be completed between Easter and Pentecost. “Everyone needs to get out of their ideological ivory towers” he said. “There are no more excuses”.
He called the roughly eight weeks to Pentecost “crunch time”. From now on, he argues, the focus should shift away from peripheral topics such as sugar taxes or social‑media bans-subject matter that is important, but secondary. “The mother of all questions is boosting competitiveness. Only a healthy economy will keep our country stable” he said.
Söder outlined a comprehensive plan for taxes and levies, high energy costs, greater labor flexibility, high‑tech development, and deregulation. He referenced an “Agenda 2010 Reloaded” that would strike the right balance of reforms.
