... Notwithstanding these pressures, Minister Riester felt impelled to withdraw the mandatory element of the plan, given the stance of the Christian Democrats, the trade unions , and the SPD’s ... years, and during which the provisions contained in the reform proposal frequently changed. It caused extensive discussions between the Govern-ment and the opposition on the one hand, and between ... caused another major change to the initial proposals. During the course of the extra-parliamentary talks between the govern-ment and the opposition, and several rounds of ‘bidding’, the extent...