Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer considers the decisions made by the CDU-SPD coalition in Berlin insufficient to overcome Germany’s economic weakness. “These are only first steps in the right direction,” Kretschmer told *Die Welt*. “To bring about a real improvement in the economic situation and a
shift in sentiment, we are still very far from a package of measures that will truly bring about an economic upswing,” the CDU politician emphasized.
On Friday, the CDU-SPD coalition pushed the Savings Act for statutory health insurance funds and the Building Modernization Act—which includes new rules for heating—through the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The coalition also intends to fully implement the recommendations of the Pension Commission. In the coalition committee, the CDU/CSU and the SPD also agreed on a reform package including tax relief for low- and middle-income earners starting in 2027, as well as measures related to employment and reducing bureaucracy. “The center delivers, it works, and above all, it fulfills the mandate set forth in our Basic Law,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) emphasized on Thursday in the Bundestag.
