Reform autumn: reducing bureaucracy and “active pension”: what the coalition is planning

The black and red coalition has declared an autumn of the reforms. How the various suggestions that come from the CDU, CSU and SPD these days should become an overall concept is yet to prove.

Time is pushing. Because the German economy is in a permanent crisis. Europe’s largest economy has shrunk in the past two years. The number of unemployed increases and is currently 6.4 percent. At the same time, many places remain vacant. In 2026, the leading economic research institutes expect mini growth between 0.8 and 1.3 percent. Financing problems lead to a debate about the necessary reforms of the welfare state, to which there is little concrete in the coalition agreement.

CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann wants to send a signal to companies and to people who are considering founding one. “In Germany, the bureaucracy has assumed that many people are no longer in the mood to become self -employed,” he says in the interview of the “Bild am Sonntag”. This prevents the development of jobs. He announces: “The cabinet is now making a session in autumn in which only bureaucracy is being dismantled.” Former Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) has often referred to the reduction in bureaucracy as the “economic stimulus program for free”. This may also make up its special charm – given a 30 billion gap in the 2027 household. From the house of Minister of Labor Bärbel Bas (SPD), a draft for the so -called active pension will soon come, at the introduction of which the coalition has agreed on January 1, 2026. The aim of the project is to motivate pensioners through a tax advantage to continue working in retirement age. Not everyone is convinced. “Politics are also pressing the gas and brakes,” said the general manager of the employers’ association BDA, Steffen Kampeter, the editorial network Germany (RND). On the one hand, the “active pension” should promote longer work, but at the same time the off -the -off early retirement pays the early exit. Anja Piel, board member of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) told the RND: “The regulation costs billions, but does not solve any of the existing problems.” The SPD would like to tax well -received earners. The Union refers to the coalition agreement here, where there is no question of this. Chancellor Minister Thorsten Frei warns in the “Rheinische Post” and refers to medium -sized companies. “The debate about a higher income tax at the upper end is a shortened debate. It gives the impression that only rich private individuals are,” says the CDU politician. And adds: “About three quarters of all German companies pay income tax as partnerships. If we don’t need something, it is to tax economic activity more.”

In the general pension insurance, the contribution ceiling is expected to increase from 8,050 euros per month from 1 January to EUR 8,450, according to a draft regulation from the Federal Ministry of Labor. In the statutory health insurance (GKV), the contribution ceiling should also increase – from EUR 5,512.50 this year to 5,812.50 euros in the coming year. Since the amount, up to which contributions are raised, is linked to wage development, there is “little design”, as the chairman of the Christian-Democratic Working Employment of Germany, Radtke (CDU), is “little design”. In conversation with the “Tagesspiegel”, however, he adds: “The dilemma is: In parallel to increase the assessment limit, the increase in the additional contributions in the SHI is emerging.” So many employees would be hit twice instead of finally relieving. At the beginning of the month, a Commission on the National State Reform was constituted, which is intended to develop proposals for modernizing and bureaucratizing the welfare state by the end of the year. It includes representatives of the federal government, the states and municipalities. However, the focus is not on services that are financed from articles, but on tax -financed services such as housing allowance or child surcharge. From the perspective of Greens boss Franziska Brantner, ready-made proposals from the independent standard control council (NKR) are already on the table. Shortly before the Bundestag election in February, the NKR said that great progress could be achieved, for example, by more digitization, automation and bundling in the processing of social benefits. Here, existing data should be digitally exchanged between the authorities of the federal government, the states and municipalities. The individual services could be bundled as well as the responsibility for this.

After the public dispute over the planned reform of the citizens’ allowance, which is to be replaced by a new basic security, everyone is now eagerly awaiting a corresponding design from BAS. The question is also about how people can be brought back to work and what sanctions threaten those who refuse to take up a reasonable activity.