The basis for approval could not be mere commitments from the traffic light coalition, but only a fully formulated draft law, said parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz on Monday in Berlin. With the so-called special fund for the Bundeswehr of 100 billion euros, the Union had “only had bad experiences” with political commitments made by the traffic lights in the spring, explained the CDU leader. Not a single one of these promises was kept.
He agreed with the CSU chairman Markus Söder and with the parliamentary group, “that we, if at all, only give approval if we have legal texts in front of us, which then also on both sides – Bundestag and Bundesrat – their approval can find”. Merz emphasized: “That means political commitments, ‘We’ll do it this way’ are all well and good, but they are not the basis for our approval.”
Like the parliamentary group leader, CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt also emphasized that the principle of “support and demand” must be retained in citizen income. “We need to get back to the very point where we get people out of this long-term unemployment. This also requires the mechanism of sanctions.”
Merz also demanded concessions from the traffic light coalition in terms of the obligation to cooperate on the part of benefit recipients, the amount of the protective assets and the duration of the waiting period in which this is not touched. The coalition would have to “make cuts on this substantial side of their project”. So far he has not been convinced that she is quickly ready to approach these ideas.
