The parliamentary leader of the CDU/CSU faction, Thorsten Frei, has promised a swift implementation of the “Immediate Program” that is set to be adopted by the CDU’s federal party conference in Berlin on Monday.
“We have focused on things that can really move quickly” he told RTL and ntv. The “Immediate Program” only includes points that do not require federal council approval and do not involve complex legislative proposals, Frei said. “That’s why we have decided to take only the points that can be quickly implemented, where we don’t need federal council approval and where we don’t need complex legislative proposals.”
For instance, the income tax reform, which the party would like to implement in four stages during this legislative period, is not included, as it requires prior preparation, Frei explained. “And that’s why we have focused on the things that can really move quickly.” Examples of such measures include the reform of the working hours law, which would limit weekly working hours but not daily working hours, as well as the rapid relief for the agricultural and hospitality sectors, the exemption of overtime bonuses from taxation and the tax-free status of the first €2,000 of monthly income for those who voluntarily continue working beyond the statutory retirement age, known as the “active pension.”
These are all things that can be quickly done, just like, for instance, the rejection of border crossings. “You don’t need a law for that” Frei said. “Friedrich Merz, the chancellor, would implement that immediately.