Germany's coalition pact promises stability and growth
Europe can rely on Germany and its future government in the face of economic and geopolitical challenges, declared CDU leader and chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz during a press conference in Berlin. The leaders of the Christian Democratic parties and the SPD unveiled their coalition agreement on Wednesday.
According to the RND portal, Merz could be elected and sworn in as chancellor in the Bundestag on 7 May. On the same day, his cabinet is also expected to be sworn in. Merz stated that the future coalition would "reform and invest to keep Germany stable, make it safer and make it economically stronger again."
Germany: The new government has a coalition agreement
The party leaders—Friedrich Merz (CDU), Markus Soeder (CSU), and Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken (SPD)—presented the coalition agreement in Berlin on Wednesday. As the leader of the party that received the highest support in the February elections, Friedrich Merz is pursuing the role of chancellor.
The German Christian Democrat leader emphasised that the coalition negotiations were conducted under significant pressure due to the global political situation. “From within and outside, many forces were working against us, not for us,” he added, pointing out that the coalition agreement is a "signal of a new beginning."
The SPD, CDU, and CSU must now discuss the results of these negotiations within their parties. A new government can be formed only when each of the future coalition partners has given its approval. Merz expressed confidence, stating that the newly formed coalition will obtain its parties' approval because the agreement seeks to ensure that Germany will fare better in the future.
“Problems are growing but at the same time we have no government capable of acting,” said Merz. The negotiated coalition agreement clearly signals that "Germany is getting back on track," added the chancellor candidate.
Earlier, in preliminary talks, the CDU/CSU and SPD agreed on an 11-page document addressing key issues, including the easing of the so-called debt brake for defence and a special fund of 497 billion euro for investments, primarily in infrastructure.
