Overview

• Key social policy dossiers have been handed to new expert commissions whose work has only just begun, pushing visible outcomes into winter or spring 2026.
• Union floor leader Jens Spahn urged lawmakers to lower expectations for near‑term overhauls, reflecting a shift to managing timelines rather than promising quick wins.
• Seeking momentum, Friedrich Merz told the chemical industry association he will handle planned Bürgergeld changes from the chancellery, a move read by some as a snub to SPD labour minister Bärbel Bas.
• Forsa reports only about a quarter of voters are satisfied with Merz’s performance, with the Union at 25 percent, the SPD at 13 percent and the AfD rising to 27 percent.
• The Council of Economic Experts stresses that growth beyond 2026 requires structural reforms, cautioning that reliance on the €500 billion debt‑financed special fund would be a serious mistake.