They all run out of other people’s money eventually.

German welfare state ‘can no longer be financed’ — Merz. The German chancellor has called for a welfare reform, putting him on course for a possible clash with the SPD.

“The welfare state that we have today can no longer be financed with what we produce in the economy,” Merz said in the town of Osnabrück.

The coalition partners had already agreed to reforming the social insurance system, which covers health insurance, pensions and unemployment benefits, due to rising costs and gaps in the federal budget.

The chancellor acknowledged that making cuts to social welfare would not be easy for the center-left SPD, but called for the two parties to work together.