Hm? I may be misunderstanding the connotations of the English words here -- both "consolidation" and "funding". I take "consolidation" to mean to make solid, i.e. in effect make sustainable and stable by reducing the deficit.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

Right after the elections, I was certain (and wrote on ET) that the CDU will play the FDP for fools and first delay the tax cuts in the coalition agreement, then find changed circumstances as reason to shelve them. But I was mistaken, Merkel gave in to introduce some of those cuts already before the NRW elections, and this playing the FDP for fools had too high a price for the CDU and Merkel personally.

extending the operating periods of nuclear power plants.

Speaking of that, a Green MP just got the government to put together a statistic for her, which shows clearly that older plants have more security-relevant incidents -- negating the government argument for extending lifespans.

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}