As head of the Economic Council, Lauk advocated a more forceful discussion of economic issues in Germany and has been highly critical of Merkel’s economic policies. He has been a vocal critic of Merkel's reluctance to introduce bold economic reforms, often arguing that she has been bowing to pressure from the Social Democratic Party over several major issues, including the introduction of a minimum wage and pensions increases. On government proposals to cut the retirement age for veteran workers to 63 and increase pensions for mothers in 2014, Lauk argued that Germany was setting "a bad example" not only for vulnerable southern European nations but also for France.