CDU federal parliamentarian Johannes Volkmann is increasing the pressure on the SPD coalition partner, accusing parts of the governing alliance of delaying crucial economic reforms. In a guest article published in the “Handelsblatt”, Volkmann shared that during conversations with entrepreneurs and employees over the past year, he noticed mounting feelings that had shifted toward “disunderstanding, frustration, and even resignation”.
He argues that the current moment provides a critical window to implement an ambitious reform agenda. He stresses that the guiding principle for reform should not be the “comfort threshold of individual coalition members” but rather the sheer economic “necessities” facing Germany. Volkmann emphasized that easing payroll peripheral costs, tax burdens, reporting obligations, and energy prices should not be viewed as bargaining points in a partisan tug-of-war, but as “necessary conditions” for preserving the nation’s industrial foundation.
The CDU politician issued a stark warning: without a fundamental change in approach from all participating parties, Germany risks allowing political stability to become an end goal in itself. Such a trend would merely lead to expensive, structural adjustments designed to prolong an unsustainable status quo-critique that is visibly aimed at the SPD, where the Union has repeatedly pointed to a lack of reformist will.
Volkmann concluded by stating that the coalition cannot wash its hands of responsibility merely because a year has passed. He pointed out that after making directional decisions regarding security and migration policy, the alliance has demonstrated its capability for governance. The immediate test, he argued, will be whether the coalition can now muster the necessary political willpower to drive an economic turnaround.