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Plenary hall in the Reichstag building (photo from November 10)
Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA
The Bundestag has approved a modified version of the citizens' allowance.
On Friday morning, parliament voted in favor of the social reform drafted by the traffic light coalition, which is intended to replace the previous Hartz IV system at the turn of the year.
As Parliament President Bärbel Bas announced, 557 MPs voted in favor of the new law, 98 against, and two abstained.
On November 10, the Bundestag had already passed a first version of the law drafted by Social Affairs Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD).
Shortly thereafter, however, the federal states with government participation from the CDU and CSU blocked the project in the Bundesrat.
Because the law requires approval and cannot be passed without the Bundesrat, the federal government and the Union then negotiated a compromise in the mediation committee, in which the traffic light coalition made far-reaching concessions.
After the successful vote in the Bundestag, the Bundesrat must also vote on the adapted version in the morning.
After that, the law can come into force at the turn of the year.
The dispute between the traffic light coalition and the Union was particularly about sanctions for the unemployed.
More soon at SPIEGEL.de
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