Overview

• After a federal board retreat in Berlin, party leader Christian Dürr outlined giving employees the option to trade vacation days for higher pay and to structure some social benefits as repayable on a BAföG model.
• Dürr cast the proposals as a response to reform stagnation under the CDU‑SPD coalition, describing the FDP as a party of radical change.
• He criticized CDU figures, citing Carsten Linnemann’s comments about people lacking a desire to work and questioning Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s promised “autumn of reforms.”
• FDP officials said the measures are part of a new basic program under development and are political positioning rather than negotiated or enacted policy.
• With national polling at roughly 3–4% and five state elections approaching, leaders argue the party must become more visible as economic worries rise after job cuts at companies such as Bosch.