"Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s policies helped cut unemployment in half since they were started 10 years ago, German Christian Democratic Union Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen told N-TV television. “The bottom line is that the labor-market reforms paid off” even though the Social Democrat Schroeder was defeated by CDU leader Angela Merkel in 2005, von der Leyen said." (Quoted from article)