Schröder: No Further Tweaks to Reforms

German Chancellor Schröder said Thursday his government would not make additional changes to labor market reforms. In the midst of his visit to Romania, Schröder said no further adjustments would be necessary and that he expected protests against the new law to ebb since agreeing to minor concessions to start paying controversial unemployment aid at the beginning rather than the end of January 2005 and to exempt children's savings below €4,100 ($5,024) from reducing parents' jobless benefits. Schröder countered allegations that Labor Minister Wolfgang Clement had lost a battle over the reforms. He had "not lost" Schröder said, but had actually proposed the changes himself.