The head of the chancellor’s office, Thorsten Frei (CDU), assured the “Tagesspiegel” that the government will have the first major social reforms in place by the end of the year, with pensions given priority. He stressed that all reforms the coalition has pledged to pursue will be carried out “as quickly as possible” but at least before the end of the legislative term.
At the same time Frei tempered expectations, noting that “of course not everything can be finished by December”. The reforms are expected to be phased. “Some commission proposals are very quick to implement; others require a slightly longer lead time” he said.
Regarding fiscal policy, Frei said a large tax overhaul is not necessary. “The coalition agreement gives us room to respond to changing conditions; we don’t need to renegotiate everything” he added.
He also criticized the Union’s Mittelstands-Vereinigung’s proposal to eliminate the so‑called “lifestyle part‑time”. “It is completely alien to the CDU’s political philosophy to tell people how they should live their lives” Frei said.