About: CDU
The three men vying to succeed Merkel
Germany's conservative CDU party will pick a new leader on Saturday (16 January) from three candidates: moderate Armin Laschet, arch-conservative Friedrich Merz and outsider Norbert Röttgen.
Merkel institutes ‘lockdown light’ until the end of November
Until the end of November, Germany will be in lockdown, albeit a milder one than in spring. Restaurants, bars, entertainment and sports facilities will have to close. Stores, schools and daycare centers will remain open. Only people from two households will be allowed to meet in public. EURACTIV Germany reports.
‘No second shutdown’, Germany’s Altmaier promises business leaders
Speaking at the annual Industry Day event, Germany's Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) promised business leaders that there would not be a second shutdown. He also took the opportunity to be critical of his SPD colleague, Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz. EURACTIV Germany reports.
German Social Democrats gear up for a climate election campaign
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz will lead the German Social Democrats (SPD) into the campaign for federal elections in 2021. Not an easy task for a party that faces strong competition from the Greens for number two position, behind the CDU/CSU conservatives. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany’s Altmaier encourages MEPs to be more realistic
In his presentation of the German EU presidency's priorities, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) urged MEPs on Thursday (16 July) to be more realistic, particularly on renewable energy and relations with China. But he continues to believe that barring Huawei, as the UK recently did, is wrong. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Merkel asks EU Parliament for ‘willingness to compromise’ ahead of mini-summit
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to take part in a "mini-summit" with the leaders of the EU institutions in Brussels on Wednesday evening (8 July). It is her first trip abroad since the coronavirus crisis started, testifying to how seriously she is taking her second and last German presidency of the EU Council. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Strong public support for CDU/CSU, but questions remain on Merkel’s successor
Around three months after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Germany, public approval of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and confidence in Chancellor Angela Merkel remain high. Nevertheless, Merkel is still ruling out a fifth term in office. So how does it look for her potential successors? EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany’s €130bn stimulus package praised by all sides
After 21 hours of negotiations spread over two days, Germany's grand coalition came to an agreement on the €130 billion economic stimulus package close to midnight on Wednesday (3 June). The result has been received surprisingly positively by all sides. EURACTIV Germany reports.
German CDU/CSU climate paper: A stab in Merkel’s back?
In a position paper, Germany's conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group opposed increasing the EU's climate target to 55% by 2030. While this has been the cause for much criticism from other parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats do not believe this contradicts her words. EURACTIV Germany reports.
German-German dispute over fibre optic funding to be decided in Brussels
The European Commission is examining German plans to support the fibre optic industry. The Christian Democrat (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group asked for early approval, while the fixed network industry association BREKO is opposed to the measures. EURACTIV Germany has seen both letters.
COVID-19 crisis boosts support for Laschet/Spahn in CDU leadership race
A special CDU party conference was originally scheduled for this week, but the election of the new chair of the biggest German conservative party has been postponed indefinitely. According to current polls, Armin Laschet can especially profit from the current crisis. EURACTIV Germany reports.
‘Coronabonds’ vs ‘Recovery bonds’: Where does Germany stand?
While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has opposed the idea of 'coronabonds', German MEPs from her own political faction have spoken out in favour of 'recovery bonds', a position that could weigh heavily on the EU summit next Thursday. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Will the coronavirus cause the comeback of Germany’s political centre?
Germans are more satisfied with their government than they have been for a long time, thanks to its coronavirus response. It is making life increasingly difficult for the opposition. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany extends COVID-19 restrictions, but announces relaxation of some measures
People in Germany will have to live with the strict contact restrictions until at least 3 May. This was agreed by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the 16 state premiers in Berlin on Wednesday (15 April). However, the German government also announced its initial plans to ease the restrictions. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany’s Laschet, Merz join Merkel party leadership race
The premier of Germany's most populous state, Armin Laschet, joined the race to lead Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) on Tuesday and won the backing of Health Minister Jens Spahn who had been expected to run himself. A third contender, Friedrich Merz, also announced his candidacy.
Crisis-ridden SPD wins state parliamentary elections in Hamburg
Voters in Hamburg gave the SPD one of their best election results in recent years in a regional election on Sunday (23 February). With 38,9% of the vote, Peter Tschentscher (SPD) will continue as the city’s mayor, while the Greens doubled their share of the vote to reach 24,4%. Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU, however, performed poorly.
Hamburg elections, pose (another) crash test for Germany’s mainstream parties
Voters in the city state of Hamburg will elect their new parliament on 23 February, the first elections to take place after the Thuringian political turmoil broke out earlier this month. This is yet another test for Germany’s traditional parties that could seal the end of the country's traditional political landscape.
Pull yourselves together for EU’s sake, German Greens urge CDU
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), embroiled in a leadership crisis, must unite and keep their ruling coalition stable as Germany takes on the rotating European Union presidency this year, Greens leader Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday (15 February).
Huawei shouldn’t be getting its hopes up for German 5G expansion just yet
Although the CDU and CSU did not explicitly decide on the exclusion of Huawei, their position paper provided exclusion criteria that could nonetheless apply to the Chinese telecom giant. The ball is now in the court of the coalition partners, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). EURACTIV Germany reports.
CDU crisis puts question mark on German EU Presidency
As the new European Commission finally begins its work, it is Berlin's turn to come to a political standstill. It's a problem for Germany but also for the European Union.
Germany should be more Chinese – at least a bit
While China has shown it needs a few days to build a hospital, infrastructure projects in Germany are making no progress. But politicians from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) now want to change this. EURACTIV's partner WirtschaftsWoche reports.
Kramp-Karrenbauer to step down as CDU leader
CDU party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is stepping down. Announced during the CDU executive committee meeting on Monday morning (10 February), she has immediately renounced her Chancellor candidacy and intends to give up her position as CDU chair soon.
New SPD leadership on its way to challenge Germany’s Grand Coalition
Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) officially elected Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans as the new chairmen at a national conference on Friday (6 December). There was no vote about remaining in the Grand Coalition with the CDU/CSU conservatives, but the new leadership appears to have 'declared war' on them. EURACTIV Germany reports.