Reform Committee Extends Negotiation Timetable

The 32 members of the German reform mediation committee convened on Thursday to begin the long and difficult process of resolving issues surrounding Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s plans. However, it soon became clear that there would be no quick fixes to the problems. After three hours of negotiations, Henning Scherf, the mayor of Bremen and the chairperson of the committee, announced the extension of the consultations until Monday. The major sticking points remained issues on tax reform and the counter-financing plans attached to them.