The Grand Coalition has a good record for its work to date and wants to continue governing until 2021. The government, together with the parliamentary groups of the CDU, CSU and SPD, "achieved and implemented a lot - but there is still much to do," according to the report on the semi-annual results of the Federal Government, which is available to SPIEGEL. First, the editorial network Germany (RND) and the spark newspapers had reported on the government's inventory. The document will be discussed in the Cabinet on Wednesday.
This interim government balance is expected to play an important role in the parties' decision to continue the Grand Coalition. The SPD, in particular, has great reservations about the continuation of government work with the Union.
In the document, the federal ministries list on more than 80 pages, point by point, which projects from the coalition agreement were implemented in the areas of their respective departments at the middle of the legislative period and which have not yet.
In its interim report, the government points to the increasingly difficult political environment: "We live in a time when political and social centrifugal forces are increasing, and the balance between different interests and the willingness to compromise, which is indispensable in a democracy, is becoming less acceptable."
Grand Coalition is a good testimony
The CDU, CSU and SPD had come together in March 2018, primarily "out of responsibility for our country and Europe" to form a joint government. "With this in mind, we have got down to work after forming the government to implement the coalition agreement as our promise to the citizens."
In its interim balance, the coalition also identifies creative will for the future. "Our claim is to develop sustainable solutions to the major issues of our time that require political action," quotes the RND from the template. "The view is always aligned beyond the duration of the legislative period."
However, one of its most important socio-political projects - the basic pension for long-term contributors with low old-age pensions - has not yet been implemented by the coalition. Originally, they wanted to come to an agreement on Monday evening - because of resistance in parts of the CDU against the looming compromise with the SPD, the meeting of the coalition heads to the basic pension but postponed to next Sunday.
Under the rubric "What are we going to do", the government now refers in its interim report, according to the spark newspapers, only to the mandate from the coalition agreement to recognize the life benefits of pensioners with 35 years of contributions with a basic pension.
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The document lists other goals that the coalition intends to implement in the second half of the legislature. The federal government wants to offer more support to over-indebted municipalities. Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) is already conducting talks with the Bundestag, Länder and local authorities. Indebted municipalities would be helped with old debts, if there is a "political consensus to help the municipalities once purposefully".
According to the report, the Federal Government also aims to achieve full employment despite the weakening economy. "The number of unemployed in Germany is not as low as it has been for a long time - and yet there are still too many long-term unemployed for whom we have started special labor market integration programs".
According to a calculation of the SPD side there are 800 projects and projects in the coalition agreement, of which a good third has already been decided. Nearly 50 percent are in the process according to the calculation, the rest is still the decision.
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