Party conference
Union starts in the final phase of the European election campaign
CDU top candidate for the state elections in Thuringia Mario Voigt (lr), CDU Bundestag member Serap Güler, CDU leader Friedrich Merz and CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann present the Union’s new basic program. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
One day of elections, one day of basic program – and now one day of election campaign. The CDU federal party conference gives the starting signal for the final route to the European elections. The sister CSU is also there.
According to opinion polls, the Union has a good chance of becoming the strongest force in Germany in this election. It is stable at around 30 percent, which is almost twice as much as the SPD, Greens and AfD each predicted.
Discussion with founding member of Memorial
At the federal party conference in the afternoon there will be a discussion between CDU leader Friedrich Merz and Russian cultural scientist Irina Scherbakova. Scherbakova is a founding member of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola is also expected – CSU boss Markus Söder is to discuss with her.
Beforehand, the delegates want a Europe proposal from the CDU federal executive committee under the title “In freedom. In security. In Europe.” say goodbye. In it, the CDU called for a “pro-European departure for a Europe on an equal footing with the world – secure, capable of acting and strong.”
“If Ukraine loses, all of Europe loses”
Regarding the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, it says: “We must support the Ukrainians below the threshold of entering the war themselves with all political, economic, financial and military means so that they win the war against Russia. Our support must continue until this goal is achieved for Ukraine will be unambiguous, reliable and lasting. It is clear to us: if Ukraine loses, all of Europe loses.”
On Tuesday, CSU chairman Markus Söder called on both Union parties to engage in a committed election campaign. “Let us show that this election to the European Parliament is also a statement for democracy,” he called to the delegates. On the one hand, the election is about the future composition of the European Parliament and the EU Commission as well as the future of the European continent. On the other hand, it is also a national election.
Campaign promises: freedom, security and prosperity
CDU leader Friedrich Merz had already emphasized in his party conference speech on Monday that in stormy times like these, the European alliance, which is based not only on interests but also on shared values, is an insurance policy for the future whose value cannot be overestimated. The Union is going into the European election campaign with the three promises of freedom, security and prosperity. That’s exactly what it will be about in the coming years.
The three-day federal party conference of the CDU ends with the start of the hot phase of the European election campaign. On Tuesday, the party gave itself a new basic program – the first in 17 years. On the initiative of the youth organization Junge Union in particular, a move away from the suspension of compulsory military service was included.