Alternative for Germany (AfD) placed at 28 percent in the latest poll, cementing its position as the strongest political force in Germany. The Union (CDU/CSU) is recording one of its worst results in the last four years, with the AfD leading it by five percentage points. Welt ↗
The Union's leadership is sharply defending itself against accusations of even the slightest efforts to move closer to the AfD. Jens Spahn, a member of the Union's parliamentary group, clearly declared his opposition to any cooperation with "this AfD," thereby turning the accusation back on his critics. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer expressed a similar view on the topic, warning of the risk that radical parties could come to determine the political agenda if cooperation with them were treated too casually. Welt ↗
After weeks of internal disputes, the leadership of the Union and the SPD agreed on a new reform within the coalition. The coalition committee met at the chancellor's office, and after six hours of discussions that lasted past midnight, the parties agreed on a so-called "working process" for the planned reforms. According to the politicians present, the negotiations took place in a "good and confidential atmosphere" following a period of tension between the two parties. The party leaderships managed to agree on a roadmap for tax and social reforms, as well as on stabilizing CO₂ prices. However, the specific details of the reform plans remain unclear for now and will be communicated in a manner other than a traditional press conference. n-tv ↗
Ahead of the coalition talks, Spahn proposed a radical approach to financing the tax reform. The Union's parliamentary group representative called for a flat five-percent cut to all subsidies and tax breaks, which he said would free up billions of euros. This proposal stands in contrast to the position of the SPD, represented by Vice Chancellor Klingbeil, who advocates raising taxes for high-income earners. The dispute over how to finance the reform represents one of the main points of disagreement within the coalition. Spiegel.de ↗
The coalition also agreed on a compromise regarding integration courses. Under the agreement, asylum seekers and persons under toleration status (Duldung) will be excluded from these courses, while Ukrainians and EU citizens will retain access. The government is also continuing its policy of tightening border controls to reduce the number of illegal migrants, which is showing some success particularly in eastern Germany, where the Union and SPD parties are presenting these measures as their priorities. Die Zeit ↗
We note that, as a result of the coalition's ongoing internal disputes, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's minister-president Schwesig is calling for unity, warning that the parties' leadership has lost public trust through its "unprofessional" approach, and that this internal dispute represents a Tagesspiegel ↗
Coalition of the Union and SPD agrees on reform, AfD strengthens its lead in polls
This summary was generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies. Please verify information in the original sources below.
Sources (5)
Um fünf Prozent: Spahn will pauschale Kürzung aller Subventionen und Steuervorzüge
Tagesspiegel
| 07:37 12.05.
Jens Spahn will pauschal fünf Prozent aller Subventionen streichen
Spiegel.de
| 06:51 12.05.
Steuerreform: Jens Spahn plädiert für pauschale Kürzung von Subventionen
Die Zeit
| 01:12 12.05.
„Pauschale Kürzung um fünf Prozent“ – Spahn fordert radikalen Subventionsabbau
Welt
| 01:01 12.05.
Koalitionsstreit um Steuerreform: Klingbeil will bei Steuerreform keine "Neiddebatten anzetteln"
n-tv
| 23:17 11.05.
🔥 You might also like
European Union
What Europe Writes About: USA Attacked Iran for the Second Time in 48 Hours, Putin Blames Germany for Planting Evidence, Venezuela Allowed USA Access to a Fifth of Its Oil
A second wave of American strikes on Iran hit a wedding near Ahvaz according to Tehran. Iran retaliated with missiles at bases in three countries. Overview from …
📰
World Politics
Merz in crisis: a year in office ends with historically low approval and internal disputes
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces a serious political crisis after a year in office. According to polls by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, only...
German Politics
Brandenburg CDU demands quick solutions after the elections
After the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, pressure is growing within the Brandenburg CDU on Chancellor and party leader Friedrich Merz.
© HotInfo
From our newsroom original
All →
Amodei calls for slowing AI development, Trump dismisses the risks
Orbán filed a criminal complaint against Szijjártó over flights
Milan Kováč becomes new member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic
Hungary to open state security files, no one voted against. First batch on October 20 will show network records, not agent reports
Telenor allegedly gave the junta customer data, police say. It faces accusations of possible complicity in crimes against humanity
France wants Usmanov off the sanctions list in exchange for detainees. The EU extended the deadline by only seven days, and the six-month compromise fell through too
What Czechia is writing about: Babiš and Pavel finally met at the Castle, Macinka was absent. Brussels revealed family ties in Agrofert's trust fund
The website of Norway's parliament went down for 80 minutes. It was inaccessible from most of the world for nearly four hours after Oslo reported a return to normal
