German Chancellor Friedrich Merz lashed out at critics of his policies, using unprecedentedly harsh language during a party forum on Saturday, July 4, 2026. He addressed the skeptics directly with the words: “Cultural pessimists, arsonists of the apocalypse, whiners, grumblers, indignant professional critics: Get out!“ (in German: “Kulturpessimisten, Untergangspropheten, Nöler, Nörgler, empörte Berufskritiker: Wegtreten!“). His statement comes at a time of severe political turmoil and historic low in the approval of his red-black coalition (CDU/CSU and SPD).
The challenge and record dissatisfaction
Merz's speech, delivered at the provincial congress of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf, is a direct attempt to go on a political offensive. Just two days earlier, the ARD-DeutschlandTrend survey showed that only 13% of Germans were satisfied with the Chancellor's job. This is the lowest rating for a sitting head of government in Germany in the three decades since this survey was conducted.
Despite public pressure, Merz expressed complete confidence that the country is on the verge of a new economic boom:
- „Germany's best years are not behind us. If we do things right, we have a lot of good years ahead of us,“ he stressed.
- The Chancellor predicts that thanks to the measures, as early as 2027 the country will achieve economic growth above 1%.
The coalition's mega-reform package
Merz's sharp reaction is in defense of the large-scale and highly contested catalog of reforms agreed in early July 2026 between the CDU, CSU and SPD, aimed at leading Germany out of ongoing economic stagnation. The package includes:
- Tax relief and "wealth tax": A reform of the income tax is planned, which will relieve low and middle incomes. On the other hand, the so-called "wealth tax" (Reichensteuer) is being increased for individuals with incomes over 250,000 euros per year.
- Removal of telephone sick leave: The pre-pandemic rule that required employees to submit a medical certificate of incapacity for work from the first day of illness is being reinstated, with the aim of stopping mass absences from work. This measure has drawn sharp criticism from medical and labor unions.
- Full adoption of the pension reform: The government will fully implement the recommendations of the expert commission for restructuring the pension system.
New blow: Plan against social fraud
As a key emphasis in his speech in Düsseldorf, Friedrich Merz announced that already this July the government will present an official „Action Plan to Combat Social Benefit Abuse“.
The measure is directly related to the fact that since the beginning of July, the new system for „Basic Security“ (Grundsicherung) has come into force in Germany, which has completely replaced the previous social income (Bürgergeld). The new system imposes significantly stricter requirements for cooperation from the unemployed and heavier penalties for refusing to work for nearly 5.5 million benefit recipients. According to Merz, tightening controls is a matter of fairness to working citizens and is strongly supported by local authorities.
Sources: WELT, ARD, DIE ZEIT, DW