The polls are good: Söder and Merz are aiming for victory in the European elections – with a conservative program for the top candidate.
What's inside?
Prelude to the 2024 European elections
: CDU and CSU present their program
Clear line from Merz and Söder
: Von der Leyen should take a conservative course
The news ticker provides information about current developments
.
Update from March 11th, 12:38 p.m
.: Course of the clear edge: After the adoption of the joint election program for the 2024 European elections, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has declared war on the traffic light coalition.
The Europe-wide vote is also a national test election, he said at a joint press conference with CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
It is also about the fact that there is “no left-wing Europe” and “no Brussels traffic light,” said Söder.
Against this background, he praised the focus of the new election program on a conservative line.
It is important to make a plea for nuclear energy and the combustion engine.
In addition, a clear focus is placed on European security policy and calls for a limit on uncontrolled immigration to Europe.
The two parties had previously officially approved the program.
European election program adopted: CDU and CSU are taking a clear stance against the traffic lights
Update from March 11th, 12.30 p.m
.: The leaders of the CDU and CSU approved the joint program for the European elections on June 9th in Berlin.
The party announced that the paper was unanimously approved at a meeting of the presidiums of the CDU and CSU in Berlin.
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That's where it goes: Ursula von der Leyen and Friedrich Merz (CDU) want a victory in the 2024 European elections.
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
In the European election campaign, the CDU and CSU are now focusing on a massive armament of the European Union, including aircraft carriers and their own missile shield.
The Union parties are also calling for their own EU defense commissioner.
The security situation in Europe has changed fundamentally in recent years, particularly as a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, according to the election manifesto.
Significantly more must be done to ensure Europe's security and defense capability.
The election program is entitled “Europe with Security - For a Europe that protects and benefits”.
Friedrich Merz described the paper as a “great agreement” between the two sister parties.
“The EPP program bears the signature of the Union in Germany,” said the CDU leader.
While the message is primarily about freedom, security, prosperity and competitiveness, the Union is of course also sticking to the goals for dealing with climate change - albeit with restrictions.
“This is only possible with a strong economy and a competitive industry.
Then we can build a strong social Europe, then we can also make a major contribution from Europe to climate change and to solving this major problem facing humanity.”
Together with Markus Söder (CSU), he praises the work of top candidate Ursula von der Leyen in this regard.
It represents a decisive success factor, explained the Bavarian Prime Minister.
Because in contrast to all other parties, the Union could rely on a major driving force.
“Or do you know the top candidates of the other parties?” he asked smugly to the group.
However, von der Leyen now has to accept a change of course at the request of her party family.
European elections 2024: CDU and CSU are giving the German candidate a program
First report
: Berlin - For Markus Söder (CSU) she is the "natural top candidate" - and Friedrich Merz certified her "great merits": In the past few days, the two heads of the Union's sister parties have been full of praise for her on the social platform X Party friend Ursula von der Leyen.
The Commission President is running as the top candidate in the 2024 European elections and is expected to bring the two men success in the super election year.
The only question is: with which program?
This Monday (March 11th) the CDU and CSU want to reveal the secret.
The two Union parties want to adopt the European election program in a joint executive committee meeting.
CDU chairman Friedrich Merz and Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) will then present it to the public at a press conference.
The group leader of the Christian Democrats in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, and von der Leyen will also be there.
Von der Leyen is officially the top candidate of the European EPP party family.
Last week she was nominated with an overwhelming majority at a convention in Bucharest.
After the European elections in 2024, she is aiming for a second term as President of the EU Commission.
It had already been rumored in advance that she would have to make some compromises in terms of content.
Because both the EPP and the Union demand that the top politician take a significantly more conservative course than in the past.
Merz and Söder are forcing von der Leyen to take a new course – security instead of a “Green Deal”
The first years of the Commission under von der Leyen were dominated by a “Green Deal”.
It was the favorite project of the Germans, who wanted to use it to advance the transformation of the European economies towards greater climate sustainability.
But many conservatives see the project as a bureaucratic monster and, given the war in Ukraine, no longer timely.
In view of high energy prices, many in the party family are insisting on a change of course.
Von der Leyen has already adapted recently.
She no longer announced climate and environmental policy as a new focus for the next five years.
Instead, the focus should now be on the common security and defense policy.
Date for the European elections
The European Parliament election will take place in Germany on June 9th.
It is part of the EU-wide European elections in 2024. The European Parliament consists of 720 seats, of which Germany holds 96.
So far there has been no barrier clause.
This means that there is only a mathematical percentage hurdle of around 0.5 percentage points.
In the 2019 European elections, seven parties won seats with well under five percent of the vote.
The latter is also a concession to Merz.
For years, von der Leyen stood for many things that the CDU chairman was happy to oppose extensively.
But the two of them pulled themselves together.
Because they need each other in the fight against the traffic light coalition.
The SPD, FDP and Greens have agreed in their coalition agreement that the Greens can propose the next German EU Commission member “as long as the Commission President does not come from Germany”.
Accordingly, von der Leyen is a clear power factor for the Union.
Because, as the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
recently wrote, it is the CDU's only chance of becoming a member of the next EU Commission.
European elections 2024: Surveys are good for the CDU and CSU
Merz, Söder and von der Leyen's plan could work.
However, there is much in the polls that points to a victory for the Union.
According to the opinion research institute Insa, the CDU and CSU could become the strongest force in the European elections.
The sister parties currently have 27 percent of the vote.
This is immediately followed by the right-wing populist AfD as the second strongest party with 22 percent, which would double its share compared to the 2019 election - right-wing populists and extremists are already on the rise in many EU countries.
In the German surveys, the Greens come in behind with 20 percent and the SPD with 16 percent.
The FDP only manages around three percent.
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jkf
)