Almost 100 days before the federal election, the CDU and CSU want to agree on an election program.
Some points of contention are likely to remain.
And how united do Armin Laschet and Markus Söder appear?
Berlin (dpa) - The Union wants to convince in the federal election with a modernization promise for Germany as a consequence of the corona pandemic.
“We will relieve citizens and companies, instead of burdening them,” is one of the key phrases in a draft for the joint election program of the CDU and CSU, available to the German Press Agency in Berlin. "Especially after the pandemic, tax increases are the wrong way to go," as they would run counter to the necessary economic upswing. Among other things, the Union promises to make Germany a climate-neutral industrial country by 2045 and to break new ground in pension policy.
Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet and CSU leader Markus Söder wanted to put the final touches on the election manifesto with the leaders of their parties on Sunday evening. It should be decided this Monday. Until recently, Union experts had worked on the election program, which was ultimately around 200 pages long, especially in the areas of climate and pensions, according to information from the dpa. The inclusion of the mother's pension desired by the CSU should not be included in the joint paper. You could therefore find yourself in a special program planned by the CSU for Bavaria.
A draft available to the dpa, which should be as of the middle of the week, shows that the sequence of the thematic chapters has been changed. The economic chapter was no longer in front, but sections on international and European issues. In the Union it was emphasized that changes to details are still possible during the deliberations planned until Monday. CDU boss Laschet and Söder want to present the program this Monday - it is their first major joint appearance after the power struggle for the candidacy for chancellor.
CDU Vice Volker Bouffier rejected the CSU demand for an increase in the maternal pension, "because we already have very big financial challenges," as the Hessian Prime Minister told the editorial network Germany (RND). However, he reckons that the CSU will continue to demand that older mothers and younger mothers be credited with three instead of two and a half pension points per child. Söder said the "Bild am Sonntag": "I am very sure that the maternal pension will be in a coalition agreement in the end." Bouffier demanded a signal from Laschet and Söder that the sister parties are united in the election campaign.
In the Sunday trend of the Insa polling institute for “Bild am Sonntag”, the CDU and CSU come to 28 percent, one point more than the previous week. The Greens remain at 20 percent. Shortly after the nomination of Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock, the party was temporarily ahead of the Union. SPD (16 percent), FDP (13), AfD (11) and Left (6) do not change. For the first time, Laschet leads on the question of who would be elected in a purely theoretical direct election. It comes to 19 percent (plus 1), Baerbock to 17 (minus 1), SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz remains at 18 percent.
Söder warned in the “Bild am Sonntag”: “The Union is on the right track with Armin Laschet, but we also benefit from the mistakes of others.” He said: “If we can't get out of the 20 percent range, then too could Alliances against us may be possible.
We want to prevent that together. ”The“ 30 plus X ”brand is an important cushion.
The Greens have “recently scored one own goal after the other.
In any case, they did not pass the aptitude test for the Chancellery, ”said Söder.
Central points in the draft of the election program include:
- ECONOMY, CLIMATE: Companies should "no new burdens are imposed" so that the economy can get going again after the pandemic, according to the draft. New taxes on assets such as the wealth tax or the increase in inheritance tax are rejected. The Union is aiming for a “competitive corporate tax of the order of 25 percent”. Companies should be relieved of bureaucratic costs running into billions. According to the draft, the mini job limit of 450 euros is to be increased to 550 euros, the CSU reportedly wanted 600 euros.
In the KLIMApassus one can read that Germany's greenhouse gas neutrality will be implemented by 2045.
The Union is relying on "the market-based instrument of emissions trading with social compensation", aiming for European trade with a uniform price and global connectivity.
The growth path of CO2 pricing should be streamlined and "transition as quickly as possible to a price established on the market in the newly established European emissions trading for mobility and heating".
Specific CO2 prices are not given.
The income should be returned in full to citizens and companies via the electricity price.
In the TRAFFIC section it says: “We are giving the combustion engine a future with renewable fuels.” A diesel driving ban is rejected, as is a general speed limit on motorways.
- SOCIAL: Calls for an increase in the retirement age, as recently raised by experts, are not included. The aim is to help people to reach the actual standard retirement age, "and also to set stronger incentives to work longer," it says. The Union is planning a "generation pension" for every child. For this, the state should pay 100 euros per month for every child from birth to 18 years of age into a generational pension fund, which invests the money in a return-oriented manner. For low-wage earners, company pension schemes are to be made mandatory, subsidized by the state.
- FINANCES, TAXES: The Union rejects amendments to the Basic Law to soften the debt brake.
Major reliefs are not announced.
They stand for a solid financial policy: "We don't make promises that we can't keep."
- INTERNAL SECURITY: An "update of all security authorities with a triad of more staff, better equipment and up-to-date skills and powers", promises the Union.
Criminal clans "mustn't have a quiet minute", they say.
Right-wing extremism remains the greatest threat to the open society.
Violent left-wing extremism must also be consistently countered.
Anti-Semitism must be named and combated, regardless of whether from right-wing or left-wing extremists or from a migrant milieu.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210620-99-67077 / 3