In the internal coalition debate over the debt‑barrier reform set out in the coalition agreement, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) drew firm red lines.

He told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine” Sunday edition that the reform “may not simply allow further borrowing”. Dobrindt said the debt‑barrier must limit debt and not become a mechanism to postpone necessary reforms with ever‑new credit. Doing so, he warned, would only worsen the problems.

While he intends to review the findings of the so‑called debt‑barrier commission, he made it clear that he has no willingness to introduce a new debt‑barrier that would merely lead to additional new borrowing.