Overview
- Government sources and party leaders raised the dispute publicly on Monday as CDU, CSU and SPD face disagreement over whether to deliver the Koalitionsvertrag pledge to raise the BAföG Wohnkostenpauschale from €380 to €440 for winter semester 2026/2027.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s spokesman said coalition commitments remain 'under financing reservation,' meaning any payment increases must fit the overall budget and could be scaled back during savings talks.
- Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär signalled she no longer expects a near-term reform which drew irritation from coalition partners and intensified calls for clarity about timing and content.
- A visible split inside the Union has emerged with CDU social-wing chief Dennis Radtke demanding the agreed increase be implemented while figures like Jens Spahn argue against raising state benefits given current budget pressure.
- The Wissenschaftsministerium says a cabinet decision is targeted for the end of July but will not confirm additional payments yet so the next steps to watch are the ministry’s July proposal and how the coalition resolves the financing reservation.