Coalition agreement for the 16th electoral term of the Bundestag

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The coalition agreement of the black-red federal government in Germany, which was in office from 2005 to 2009, was negotiated after the 2005 federal election between the coalition partners CDU , CSU and SPD . It is entitled “ Together for Germany. With courage and humanity. “And comprises 130 pages (166 pages including attachments) and describes the government goals of the Merkel I cabinet .

history

After the federal elections had not brought a government majority for either of the two camps (CDU, CSU and FDP) or (SPD and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen), the CDU, CSU and SPD agreed on one on November 12, 2005 after 26 days of negotiations joint coalition agreement that formed the basis of joint governance.

Both sides emphasized the character of the coalition as a temporary "alliance of convenience" ( Franz Müntefering ), but also spoke of the "great opportunity" to open a "new chapter" after years of opposition ( Edmund Stoiber ).

The coalition agreement was signed on November 18, 2005 by the chairmen of the three governing parties, as well as by the designated Minister of Economic Affairs Michael Glos (CSU) and, on the SPD side, by the designated Vice Chancellor Franz Müntefering and Party Vice Elke Ferner. On November 22nd , Angela Merkel was elected Chancellor of a grand coalition and a new government was established.

The individual contents of the coalition agreement are presented below.

Political content

household

The coalition has resolved to comply with Article 115 of the Basic Law and the stability criteria of the Maastricht Treaty from 2007. In order to reduce the net borrowing below the 3 percent limit and at the same time below the state investment volume, the reduction of subsidies and benefits of the social systems was planned: the allocations from the federal budget to the statutory health insurance and the Federal Employment Agency should be gradually reduced. A reduction in the commuter flat rate was also planned , which from now on only applies from the 21st kilometer and should be 30 cents per kilometer. As of January 1, 2006, the cancellation of the home ownership allowance and a reduction of the saver allowance to 750 euros were planned.

Taxes

According to the coalition agreement, the VAT rate should be increased from 16 percent to 19 percent on January 1, 2007. The reduced VAT rate of seven percent on groceries, printed matter, etc. Ä. is not affected by the increase. One third of the income should go to reducing the contribution to unemployment insurance and two thirds to budget consolidation. The tax surcharge ( tax on the rich ) of 3 percent enforced by the SPD for incomes of 250,000 euros or more (single) or 500,000 euros (married couples) leads to a top tax rate of 45 percent. Another aim of the treaty was to reform corporate taxation , which came into force on January 1, 2008 and was supposed to replace the different taxation of partnerships and stock corporations.

labour market

The contribution rate for unemployment insurance was to be reduced from 6.5 percent to 4.2 percent on January 1, 2007 with the help of the additional income from VAT. The protection against dismissal only takes effect after two years of service. However, the Union was unable to assert itself with its demand to restrict collective bargaining in favor of company alliances. Furthermore, the reform of the craft regulations should be reviewed (and possibly reversed) and the surcharges for night, Sunday and public holiday work should be subject to social security contributions from an hourly wage of 25 euros.

It was also planned to raise unemployment benefit II in the new federal states to the level of the West and to reduce the pension contribution of ALG II recipients from 78 euros to 40 euros. The introduction of a combined wage , which was supposed to encourage the creation of additional jobs for simple activities, was considered for consideration.

Social systems

The coalition agreement provided for an increase in the contribution rate to pension insurance by 19.9 percent and the retirement age should be increased from 65 to 67 years from 2012 to 2035 at the latest (now brought forward to 2029 at the latest) and private pension provision should be further promoted. The discussion on health care reform was postponed to 2006.

State reform

The most important goal here was the rapid completion of the federalism reform . The draft is now in parliamentary discussion. In the course of reducing bureaucracy, small and medium-sized enterprises should be exempted from statistical obligations and a standards control council should examine the necessity and proportionality of new legislative initiatives. One billion euros should be saved annually in public administration in order to relieve the budget.

family

The childcare allowance was to be replaced by a parental allowance in 2007 . In the year after the birth of the child, it amounts to 67 percent, but a maximum of 1,800 euros, of the net income of a parent who takes care of the child at home or who restricts their working hours because of this.

Interior

In the course of the federalism reform, the defense against terrorist dangers should be transferred exclusively to the area of ​​responsibility of the Federal Criminal Police Office . The reintroduction of the leniency program and the ability to save data from Internet and telephone connections for up to a year should also serve to improve the fight against terrorism.

environment

The two sides could not agree on a common position on energy policy. Only the existing legal situation is recognized and reference is made to the validity of the nuclear phase-out . A decision about an extension of the nuclear power plant running times should be made during the legislative period.

Foreign and Security Policy

The main point of contention, the EU accession Turkey , the "goal of accession" was recognized for the negotiations, however, drawn in the event that the EU should not receptive or Turkey is not ready to record a "privileged relationship" into consideration. The German striving for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council is confirmed in the treaty. Before deciding whether to deploy the Bundeswehr inside, the Federal Constitutional Court should await the ruling on the Aviation Security Act ; the coalition wants to adhere to general conscription and community service .

Coalition committee

The CDU / CSU and SPD agreed in the coalition agreement to hold coalition talks in the coalition committee at least once a month . It was agreed that the committee would consist of the following members:

Web links

literature

  • Ullrich Heilemann, Georg Quaas and Jens Ulrich: Macroeconomic Effects of Budget Policy of the Coalition Agreement. In: Wirtschaftsdienst, Volume 86 (2006), Issue 1, pages 27–36. ( Download, PDF, 104 kB ).
predecessor Overview successor
Coalition agreement for the 15th parliamentary term of the Bundestag Coalition agreements in Germany
2005–2009 		Coalition agreement for the 17th parliamentary term of the Bundestag