Approved cabinet enacts 23 laws rounding up pension and ticket matters, as well as labor policies dubbed black
In a recent cabinet meeting, chaired by Chancellor Friedrich Merz despite his original plans for a vacation, several significant decisions were discussed, although comprehensive details have yet to be made publicly available. The meeting in Berlin focused on a variety of domestic policy areas, including pension reforms, gas prices, the Germany Ticket, care, black market work, retention periods, public contracts, and CO2 storage.
However, the search results mainly focus on Germany's decision to suspend arms exports to Israel amid the Gaza conflict. The federal government's move to halt all weapons shipments that could be used in Gaza was driven by humanitarian concerns and a sense of responsibility for civilian suffering.
Regarding the key decisions you asked about, the available search data does not cover changes to pension laws, gas prices, the Germany Ticket, care, black market employment, document retention periods, public procurement, or CO2 storage projects. It is possible that these decisions are not yet reported in the sources indexed or require direct consultation of official German government press releases or dedicated news platforms focusing on these domestic policy areas.
One of the decisions that have been confirmed is the federal government's passage of nearly two dozen draft bills during the summer break. These improvements to pensions are to be funded with billions in tax money and slightly higher costs for employees and employers. The aim is to ensure stable pensions and better pensions for millions of mothers. Parents will have three years of child-rearing time credited to their pension instead of the current 2.5 years for children born before 1992.
In the fight against black market work and money laundering, barbershops, cosmetics, and nail studios are coming under scrutiny. The federal government is also planning to strengthen the Financial Control Authority, enabling it to independently punish fraud cases.
The federal government is also aiming to achieve climate goals by enabling the underground storage of harmful CO2. This plan includes expanding a transport network for this purpose, primarily for industrial processes where CO2 emissions cannot be avoided, such as in the cement, lime, and aluminum industries.
Nursing staff will also see changes, with less time spent on forms and bureaucracy and more time for the people in need of care. The awarding of public contracts is expected to be made easier, faster, and more digital, with value limits for direct awards being increased.
The Collective Agreement Compliance Act has also been approved, ensuring good working conditions for large public contracts. Companies must pay their employees according to collective agreement conditions for federal public contracts of 50,000 euros or more.
The Germany Ticket, a nationwide valid local transport ticket, is threatened with a price increase next year, and additional costs are expected to exceed the 1.5 billion euros the federal government plans to contribute in 2026. However, details regarding this increase have yet to be made publicly available.
Employees in these industries are required to have their identity card with them at all times for possible inspections. Booking records at banks, insurers, and securities institutions will be kept for ten years to better uncover large-scale tax evasion.
From 2027, the pension contribution will rise from the current 18.6 to 18.8 percent. The pension level, which describes the ratio of a standard pension to the current average wage, will be maintained at 48 percent.
As more details become available, we will update this article to provide a comprehensive overview of the key decisions made in Germany's recent cabinet meeting. Stay tuned for more updates.
- Other significant decisions made in the recent cabinet meeting, such as changes to pension laws, the intended increase for the Germany Ticket, measures to reduce black market work, improvements to the Financial Control Authority, plans for CO2 storage, the Collective Agreement Compliance Act, and changes in the awarding of public contracts, are not yet thoroughly covered in the available search data and may require direct consultation of official German government press releases or dedicated news platforms focusing on these domestic policy areas.
- In the general news and finance sectors, discussions have predominantly revolved around Germany's decision to halt arms exports to Israel amid the Gaza conflict, but the recent cabinet meeting also addressed other critical topics like pension reforms, the future of the Germany Ticket, efforts against black market work, strengthening the Financial Control Authority, CO2 storage plans, the Collective Agreement Compliance Act, changes in public contract awarding, and reducing bureaucracy for nursing staff – details for these topics are yet to be fully disseminated to the public.
