German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing increasing pressure to speed up reforms agreed by the ruling coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) and the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), writes WELT in a commentary on the political situation in the country.
Author Baha Jamus sharply criticizes the current pace of governance and calls on Merz to turn the already agreed reform program into a kind of task list against which ministers should be evaluated. The idea that ministers who do not implement the program should be replaced is the position of the WELT author, not an announced decision by the German Chancellor.
Behind the commentary lies a real political problem – Merz's government has already agreed on a large-scale reform package, but now it must implement it.
In July, the ruling coalition adopted 34 measures aimed at improving the competitiveness of the German economy, reducing bureaucracy, changes to the social system and tax breaks. Merz himself said at the time that the goal was to put Germany back on the path of economic growth.
Among the key areas are pension and labor market reforms, a lower tax burden for low- and middle-income earners, accelerating infrastructure projects, digitizing the administration and reducing the regulatory burden on business.
Pension reform remains particularly sensitive. A special commission has presented 33 recommendations for changing the system, and the ruling coalition has announced its intention to implement them quickly and to complete the legislative process by the end of 2026.
Merz, for his part, continues to insist that the government should not abandon the reform course due to political pressure. In his latest statements, the chancellor has emphasized that the changes agreed before the summer break must be implemented as quickly as possible.