CDU/CSU on Europe

The CDU and the CSU want clear progress on admitting the Western Balkan states to the EU without loosening the accession criteria. They see membership as being in Germany's economic and security interest. For Belarus, they want to support the democracy movement.

The CDU and the CSU want the Western Balkan countries to join the EU. The rules for joining stay just as strict. In Belarus, the parties want to support the democracy movement.

The parties consider a new political effort necessary and want to continue the Berlin Process, which promotes regional cooperation in the Western Balkans. For Belarus, a friendship group is to be set up to back the opposition to the Lukashenka government with an action plan. The Belarusian people should be able to decide freely about their own future.

The CDU and the CSU want the EU to limit itself to tasks with European added value and drop dispensable ones. They call for less EU bureaucracy and more competitiveness. At the same time, reforms are to make the EU more capable of acting and more respectful of subsidiarity.

The CDU and the CSU want an EU with clear priorities. The EU should only handle what it does better than single countries. There should be less red tape from Europe. The EU should also be able to act faster.

The platform lists areas for more Europe, including the single market, the energy and capital markets unions, research, climate protection, foreign trade, stopping illegal migration, digitalization and defense. An action plan foresees an immediate halt to new burdens from EU initiatives, a competitiveness check, an independent European regulatory control council and a "one in, two out" rule. The definition of small and medium-sized companies is to be adjusted and thresholds for public contracts raised. The subsidiarity complaint procedure is to be simplified. The European Commission should use existing tools against rule-of-law violations more firmly.

The CDU and the CSU want EU accession tied more closely to candidates' actual progress, without loosening the criteria. For countries that do not yet meet every requirement, they propose intermediate stages. Relations with neighboring states are to be reset.

The CDU and the CSU want new countries to join the EU. But these countries must meet all conditions. There should be in-between steps on the way. The parties say Turkey cannot join right now.

The parties see the accession of the Western Balkan states, Ukraine and Moldova as a security and geopolitical interest. The European Political Community is to serve dialogue with neighbors, without duplicating EU structures. Cooperation with the United Kingdom is to deepen, especially on security and defense. Turkey is described as a strategically important partner that is moving away from EU values. Partnerships with Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are to be strengthened. Cooperation with states in the Middle East and North Africa is to grow, with a focus on preventing illegal migration.

The CDU and the CSU reject Germany being liable for the debts of other countries. The European debt rules are to remain binding, with violations penalized automatically. For crises, the parties call for an insolvency framework for member states.

The CDU and the CSU do not want to pay for other countries' debts. The debt rules in Europe should apply strictly. Countries that break them should be punished automatically. There should be fixed rules for states that go bankrupt.

The platform backs the Stability and Growth Pact with the Maastricht criteria: debt of no more than 60 percent and an annual deficit of no more than three percent of economic output. An automated deficit procedure is to apply to violations. EU budget funds are to be used only for tasks with European added value. The independence of the European Central Bank is affirmed, while state financing through it is rejected.