German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sought dialogue with the CDU/CSU youth organization at its annual conference in Bonn, a year after relations between him and the young conservatives escalated into open conflict. This time, the chancellor demonstrated a willingness to reconcile and an attempt to show that he had learned from the previous clash, writes Süddeutsche Zeitung. Süddeutsche.de
However, tensions remain high. The "Youth Union" (Junge Union) is pushing for a change in the CDU's course amid the party's poor election results and problems in its ruling coalition with the Social Democrats. The organization's chairman, Johannes Winkel, accused the CDU of conducting politics as if Germany was still in 2010 and called on the party to restore the trust of voters. He was re-elected leader of the organization with more than 94% of the vote. Süddeutsche.de
The youth organization has demonstrated confidence that it can become a driving force for the renewal of the CDU. “Maybe we also need a new Union“, said Winkel. According to him, the party must once again place families among its main political priorities and carry out the necessary reforms in the pension system.
The issue of pensions and fairness between generations remains particularly sensitive. It was the pension policy that caused the serious clash between Merz and the young conservatives at last year's conference. Now Winkel is insisting that the results of the pension commission's work should actually be implemented and warns that the costs of unresolved problems should not be passed on to younger generations.
Even the music with which Merz was welcomed into the hall had a symbolic message. The organizers chose the song “Storm II“, containing the message “We stay united through the storm“ – “We stay united through the storm“. Süddeutsche Zeitung notes that this can be seen both as a promise and as a call for the chancellor and the party youth to overcome their differences.
The meeting in Bonn comes at a difficult time for German conservatives. The CDU suffered serious losses in regional elections, and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania it failed to enter the local parliament for the first time. At the national level, the CDU/CSU is under pressure from the “Alternative for Germany“, while the approval rating for Merz's government remains low.
Winkel believes that the party must move beyond a state of resignation with negative trends. According to him, many CDU members have fallen into a kind of “resignation“ in recent months, while the “Youth Alliance“ wants the Bonn conference to signal a new beginning.
Among the main topics of the three-day forum are the pension system, the family, economic competitiveness and artificial intelligence. The youth organization has set an ambitious goal of making Germany a leading country in the practical application of artificial intelligence and is pushing for less bureaucracy and faster reforms.
The conference, which takes place from October 16 to 18 in Bonn, is attended by around 300 delegates. In addition to Merz, the main guests include the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, and the Bavarian Prime Minister and leader of the CSU, Markus Söder.
Sources: Süddeutsche Zeitung, Deutschlandfunk, ARD, Junge Union