CDU after retreat: closer to the people

You can't just reinvent a party over a weekend, says CDU leader and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Nevertheless, something had to be done quickly - the uncertainty in the CDU after the recent electoral failures is too great. "We have to work our way out of a low point, including a crisis of trust. We are taking action. We want to show that we are ready for change."

The closest CDU leadership circle discussed the matter for two days. The result: The party wants to regain the trust of citizens. Measures that affect their everyday lives are crucial: lower prices at the supermarket checkout, affordable housing, cheap energy.

Financial flexibility through more growth

So far, the black-red coalition has only reduced electricity taxes for certain sectors of the economy - the CDU wants this to apply to everyone in the future. She wants to use financial flexibility in the household to do this.

Merz is relying on increased growth expectations for the current and next year of 1.3 and 1.1 percent respectively. "One percent growth in Germany means around ten billion euros more tax revenue. Five billion of that goes to the federal government. That's exactly the one percent growth that would give us this leeway."

Fewer rules and a “Christian view of humanity”

The CDU leadership is demanding that construction and renovation be made cheaper - unnecessary regulations and building specifications should be deleted and simplified building standards should be declared the rule. Reporting requirements for the economy should be eliminated. Politics must be reliable, comprehensible and fair, the decision states. The CDU calls caring relatives “heroes of everyday life”. Therefore, the care period will continue to be counted towards the pension.

And: Anyone who needs a specialist appointment must get one - regardless of whether he or she has private or statutory insurance. Actually, it goes without saying, explains CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann. And it basically becomes: "Politics is needed based on the Christian view of humanity. When Elon Musk criticizes that the great weakness of Europe and Germany is empathy, then that is precisely this criticism of the Christian view of humanity and politics, oriented towards people. And that is what we want to take care of now."

Against the uncertainty

According to party leader Merz, the CDU leadership is committed to better justifying and explaining decisions and placing them in a larger context. However, the CDU wants to stick to the planned changes in the areas of pensions, health, care and income tax in order to stabilize the social systems and make the economy more competitive. “The priority must be focused on economic growth in Germany,” the paper says.

Merz is counting on the coalition partner SPD to go along with it. "The dispute is causing unrest not only in the parties and the government, but also in the population. But once we have made this decision, then there will be a little more calm in the country. Because without sustainable growth, the CDU will not be successful in elections again in the future."

The retreat should also have an internal impact - on a deeply insecure party. Several participants spoke of a constructive atmosphere. Merz announced greater exchange with the CDU base in the coming months, at a meeting of district chairmen and at regional conferences.