Overview

• CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann calls for Schröder-style reforms under an Agenda 2030 label and proposes denying Bürgergeld to people who repeatedly refuse reasonable work.
• SPD leader and labour minister Bärbel Bas rules out a full withdrawal of benefits, arguing the basic subsistence level must be guaranteed, while supporting tighter obligations to bring people into jobs.
• The coalition’s reform drive proceeds with a cabinet meeting planned for the autumn dedicated solely to reducing bureaucracy and a Sozialstaatskommission tasked with concrete proposals by year’s end.
• Bas’s ministry is preparing drafts to overhaul basic security and to introduce an ‘Aktivrente,’ with the latter targeted for January 1, 2026, subject to cabinet and parliamentary approval.
• The dispute plays out in a weak economy with unemployment around 6.4% and a survey showing 73% doubt the state’s problem-solving capacity, and no binding decision on Linnemann’s demand has been made.