A senior member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Ralf Stegner, has expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Left Party in the new German parliament on reforms to the debt brake or a new special fund for defense spending.
Stegner told the Rheinische Post in an interview that he would not object to passing a reform of the debt brake or an additional special fund for defense expenditures with the old majority in the outgoing parliament.
However, he also suggested that an agreement with the Left Party in the new parliament could be a viable option. “I take the revived Left Party seriously and it’s indeed possible to find an agreement with them on a special fund or a debt brake reform in the new Bundestag” Stegner said. “That they set conditions is normal, nothing comes for free” the SPD politician added.
Stegner also criticized the Christian Union, saying that it should no longer insist on its own demands and instead be willing to compromise. “Friedrich Merz needs to quickly understand that and not push his head against a wall, as it rarely gives in” Stegner said.