German parties continue talks as they look for new coalition government

Chancellor Angela Merkel said her conservatives and their Social Democrat would-be partners still had much to do if they were to agree a new coalition government.

The parties secured a flurry of agreements on less contentious issues in their talks on Friday, but, arriving on the eve of a weekend of marathon talks, Merkel said the parties still faced divisions in crucial areas.

The two camps aim to finalise a deal for four more years of a “grand coalition” by the end of the weekend or early next week, some four months after an inconclusive national election plunged Germany into unaccustomed political uncertainty.

The parties have agreed to some eye-catching measures, including a 50 percent tax write-down for fleet electric cars and a 12 billion euro public investment programme to improve sluggish data networks, documents seen by Reuters showed.

Published: 02/02/2018 by Radio NewsHub