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Merz a few days ago in Bavaria: »... and it's, if you like, an old dream of mine.
Always has been.«
Photo:
Nicolas Armer / dpa
CDU leader Friedrich Merz has defended the journey to the wedding of Finance Minister Christian Lindner in his private plane.
He does not regret having traveled by plane, said Merz on Sunday in the ZDF "summer interview".
»To put it in a nutshell: I use less fuel with this small plane than any member of the federal government's company car.
And that's why I fly.«
He uses his plane primarily for professional purposes.
'I stand by it and it's an old dream of mine, if you will.
Always has been.«
The pictures of Merz and his wife Charlotte made headlines in early July.
The CDU boss drove the machine himself to Sylt, where FDP boss Lindner and political reporter Franca Lehfeldt got married.
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) responded to the interview with the CDU leader on Twitter on Sunday evening.
As a member of the federal government addressed by Friedrich Merz, he allowed himself a quick fact check: »My company car is an electric car and therefore does not consume any fuel at all.
Neither does my bike,” wrote Özdemir and posted a wink smiley.
Of course, in the "summer interview" Merz also spoke about other topics.
For example, he said that he still considered a women's quota for the CDU to be "the second-best solution".
He has never denied that the low proportion of women in the CDU is a problem.
"It's not the country's biggest problem."
The CDU party conference on September 9th and 10th in Hanover is now to decide on the women's quota, which has been discussed for years.
Merz was also asked about the Saxon Prime Minister's course in Russia.
Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has been sharply criticized from many sides for his suggestion that Germany should mediate in the Ukraine war.
Merz has now again distanced himself from these statements by the CDU deputy.
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aar/dpa