The parties in Germany's at times unwieldy three-way coalition made progress in dealing with contentious issues at a two-day Cabinet retreat held near Berlin, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
"I am able to report back to you that we have made progress on many issues that we deal with in our daily business," Scholz told a press conference at the conclusion of the retreat at Schloss Meseberg.
The coalition now aimed to bring various plans to a conclusion, he said. "What has taken place here is a very tangible linking of arms and also the shared conviction that this will succeed."
The coalition, headed by Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) and drawing in the Greens and the pro-business liberals of the FDP, has been in conflict over issues such as road-building, phasing out the internal combustion engine, banning fossil fuel heating systems and how to finance social projects.
The cabinet retreats at Meseberg are held out of the public eye and with no journalists present until the concluding press conference. The palace is also used as a government guesthouse.
