However, Merkel has disappointed everyone who hoped that she would continue and even expand Schröder’s domestic economic reform agenda. While her party program speaks of opening union contracts, relaxing job protection, and, in particular, overhauling the incentive structure of the welfare system, her government has been mostly silent about these issues.
然而，她却让所有那些希望她会继续甚至扩展施罗德的经济改革议程的人失望。尽管她的政党计划提到开放工会合同，放松就业保护，特别是改革福利体系中的激励机制，可她领导下的政府在这些问题上却几乎都保持缄默。其政府在实施工资补贴上的谨小慎微的做法也仅仅是装饰门面而已，不可当真。