German businesses slam Merz's slow reforms in scathing CDU survey
BERLIN A survey by the CDU Economic Council among its members has turned into a scathing indictment of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and his black-red coalition government. The findings, first reported by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), amount to a damning midterm report card for the CDU leader, who had pledged an "economic turnaround" and a "change in policy."
When asked, "How do you currently assess the speed of the federal government's reforms in key economic policy areas?" just 3% responded "roughly appropriate." A staggering 80% said "far too slow," while another 16% answered "somewhat too slow." Dissatisfaction with the pace of reform thus totals 96%.
A mere 0.1% of Economic Council members each selected "somewhat too fast" and "far too fast." Wolfgang Steiger, the council's secretary-general, told the newspaper: "The message to the government could hardly be clearer." He called for reforms to be pursued with "courage, determination, and consistency."
CDU-Aligned Business Leaders Demand Social Welfare Overhaul
Some 2,000 entrepreneurs participated in the survey. The Economic Council is not a formal CDU body but an affiliated business lobby closely tied to the party.
The results make clear that members expect tangible progress. Top priorities include structural reform of the welfare state, reducing bureaucratic reporting requirements for businesses, and accelerating planning and approval procedures.
Respondents were equally harsh in their assessment of proposals from the government's Social Welfare Commission, which presented its final report in late January. Eighty percent of companies rejected its recommendations. The commission had proposed merging housing benefits and child supplements with the citizen's basic income (Bürgergeld) under a single authority—but stopped short of advocating major or immediate savings.
The economic policy credentials of the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, have also taken a hit among party-aligned businesses. Only 69% expressed satisfaction—a drop of nearly 20 percentage points from a year ago. The Free Democrats (FDP) matched the CDU/CSU's approval rating, while the Social Democrats (SPD) garnered just 5% and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) 15%.
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