Overview

• Union and SPD begin a two‑day meeting in Würzburg to launch an agreed “autumn of reforms,” seeking a coordinated agenda after weeks of strains over tax and social policy.
• Bürgergeld changes under discussion include tougher sanctions, reinstating placement priority, tighter housing‑cost rules and ending the asset grace period, with Labor Minister Bärbel Bas due to table proposals in September.
• A pension package that shields payouts by suspending the demographic factor to 2031 and expands the mothers’ pension faces funding questions, with a commission slated to propose longer‑term fixes from 2026.
• Health and long‑term care finances are under pressure, with deficits in statutory insurance, a faster health commission timeline sought, hospital specialization plans advancing and a Bund‑Länder “Zukunftspakt Pflege” expected to deliver options this year.
• Fault lines remain as Greens warn against a “Kahlschlag,” business groups urge limiting benefits and more self‑reliance, and mistrust lingers after the failed constitutional court nomination and a cited €30 billion gap in the 2027 budget.