CSU leader Markus Söder gathers his party for the retreat in Seeon. State group leader Dobrindt increased the pressure on the Chancellor.
- Cruise missiles for Kyiv: Söder calls for greater support for Ukraine
- Question of trust in the Bundestag: CSU regional group leader Dobrindt is increasing the pressure on Scholz
- CSU in Seeon: The CSU's annual three-day retreat begins on Saturday, January 6, 2024
Update from January 6th, 5:10 p.m.: EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) has described the year 2024, which has just begun, as a “key year for democracy”. “We have elections in Europe, we have elections in the United States of America. And we will do everything to ensure that the open, free democracies will prevail,” von der Leyen announced on Saturday at the CSU regional group retreat in Seeon Monastery in Upper Bavaria. The European Parliament will be re-elected at the beginning of June, and the presidential election in the USA will take place in the fall.
With a view to Europe, the former defense minister saw a need to catch up when it came to defense. “Europe must have protection as its core task.” After the conclusion of the Asylum and Migration Pact, it must be very clear: “We have always adhered to our international obligations. (…) But it is we, the Europeans, who decide who comes to Europe and under what circumstances – and not the smugglers and smugglers.”
Cruise missiles for Kiev – Söder calls for greater support for Ukraine
Update from January 6th, 3:27 p.m.: Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder has demanded that the federal government supply cruise missiles to Ukraine. This could give Ukraine an opportunity to “defend the constant drones and missile attacks,” said the Bavarian Prime Minister on Saturday before the opening of the retreat of the CSU Bundestag members in the Seeon monastery in Upper Bavaria. It is “the only serious chance for Ukraine to find new courage and for the Russians not to win.”
Germany and the EU are threatened with a “veritable security problem” if Russia wins the war and at the same time the USA withdraws further from international crises in the future. Söder gave a little praise to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). This is expressly “on the right track”, but the speed of implementation is far too slow. Greater efforts are needed.
CSU meeting in Seeon – Dobrindt demands a vote of confidence from Scholz
Update from January 6th, 2:30 p.m.: From the perspective of CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt, the traffic light coalition has caused unrest in Germany. “What we are currently experiencing in terms of polarization in society, the economic downturn, the migration crisis, the unresolved energy issues, the disorder, is closely linked to the traffic light’s disrespectful policy,” he said at the winter retreat of the CSU members of the Bundestag in Seeon Monastery. 80 percent of people no longer trust the government to be able to cope with the country's challenges. “The traffic lights are simply finished. And that is why it would be necessary for the Chancellor to ask the German Bundestag for a vote of confidence.”
The CSU wanted to show with its retreat that the Union is “not a variant of a traffic light government”, but rather the political alternative, Dobrindt continued. Not only does she reject the traffic light policy, after the next election she will also work to ensure that undesirable developments are reversed in government responsibility. He cited the abolition of the heating law and citizens' money as examples.
CSU winter meeting: Söder criticizes traffic lights and insists on new elections again
Update from January 6th, 2:20 p.m.: With renewed calls for a new election as soon as possible and a lot of criticism of the traffic light government, the winter retreat of the CSU members of the Bundestag began in Seeon Monastery. “There has never been a government that had so little trust among the population,” said CSU leader Markus Söder to journalists shortly before the opening. In addition, the SPD, FDP and Greens no longer trust each other in government.
In football, in such a dire situation, the coach would be fired in the middle of the season, said Söder. “I believe that the change of coach, i.e. the change of chancellor, alone would not achieve anything; a new election is generally needed. This is th
e only way to restore trust.” In his view, a quick new election offers the chance to prevent the AfD from gaining further strength.
Söder criticized that the traffic light lacked the courage to ask citizens a question of trust through new elections. He referred to the year 2005, when the then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) took this step, which at least ensured the SPD continued participation in government. With a view to future alliances, Söder clearly rejected coalitions with the Greens – middle-class voters would be deterred by this. “Well, I think a Germany coalition, if nothing else would suffice, is still better than a Jamaica coalition at the moment.” An alliance between the CDU/CSU and the SPD – if necessary also with the SPD and FDP – would give the majority of citizens more trust awaken than all other coalitions – including the traffic light.
First report from January 6th, 2:30 p.m.: Seeon – A keynote speech at the start of the winter retreat: At the start of their three-day meeting in Seeon, Upper Bavaria, the CSU members of the Bundestag are expecting their party leader Markus Söder on the podium on Saturday, January 6th (1 p.m.). The Bavarian Prime Minister will probably give a keynote speech about the current political situation in the federal government and will once again not skimp on criticism of the federal government.
Merz is missing in Seeon – CSU wants to reduce the size of the EU Commission
Although CDU leader Friedrich Merz is missing for personal reasons – his father is turning 100 – there will be another prominent guest on the program afterwards, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU). Important topics here are likely to be the upcoming EU elections in June and the CSU's demand for a radical reduction in the size of the EU Commission.
The position paper, which is available to the German Press Agency in Munich, reveals the most important points on the agenda. It says that the EU needs institutional reforms and a reduction in the size of the Commission and its civil service.
“We are therefore demanding that in the future there will only be seven instead of 27 commissioners and that the other member states will be represented by junior commissioners.” The number and structure of the EU authorities and agencies must also be examined.
Von der Leyen's career plans topic in Seeon? Second term possible
Von der Leyen's personal career plans could also be an issue in Seeon. Regardless of the exam, it is also eagerly awaited whether von der Leyen will comment on her future. Von der Leyen has been at the head of the powerful EU institution since December 1, 2019. It is expected that she will seek a second term in office, but she has not officially announced anything yet.
In the position paper, the CSU calls for tougher punishments for climate activists, stricter sanctions for recipients of citizens' benefits and an upgrade of the Bundeswehr including a drone army. The return of Ukrainian refugees should also be made easier, and refugees from Kiev should be more encouraged to work.
In addition, the legalization of cannabis should be reversed. The party should also propose changes to naturalization and basic child welfare.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Kretschmer expected in Seeon
In addition to Söder and von der Leyen, the three-day retreat will also include Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel, Danish Immigration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, Farmers' Association President Joachim Rukwied and Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU). expected. Because of the invited guests, the meeting will take place under particularly high security precautions.-
The conference has been taking place in Seeon in the Traunstein district since 2017. Previously, the CSU politicians met annually in Wildbad Kreuth. The former Benedictine monastery was founded in 994. It has been the conference center of the Upper Bavaria district since 1993. (cgsc with dpa)
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