CDU on Europe

The CDU demands that no additional burdens on businesses come from Brussels. EU rules should be transposed in Germany one-to-one, without going further. The party invokes the principle of subsidiarity.

The CDU says the EU creates too much red tape. It wants no new burdens for businesses from Brussels. Germany should not make EU rules stricter than needed. The EU should not solve every problem itself.

The program views the European Union as a major source of bureaucracy. According to the party, growing reporting duties, requirements and inspections weigh especially on small and mid-sized businesses in the skilled trades and farming. Subsidiarity means the higher level only regulates what the lower level cannot solve on its own.

The CDU supports EU enlargement to Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans but demands that new members meet every criterion at accession. Ukraine may join after the war ends, while the CDU rules out Turkish membership.

The CDU wants new countries to be able to join the EU. But these countries must meet all EU rules. Ukraine can join after the war. Turkey should not join the EU.

The CDU justifies enlargement with security and stability in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Under the platform, full compliance with the accession criteria also applies to Ukraine. Hesse wants to examine whether a partnership with a Ukrainian region is currently feasible. The CDU bases its rejection of Turkey on the weakening of democracy, the rule of law and human rights under President Erdogan.

The CDU rejects EU-level taxes and EU borrowing and wants to preserve the stability criteria and the narrow mandate of the European Central Bank. At the same time the EU should tackle major tasks such as defense, the single market, migration and climate protection jointly, while respecting subsidiarity.

The CDU does not want the EU to raise its own taxes. The EU should not take on its own debt either. On big issues the EU countries should work together. For example on defense and climate protection. But each country should be able to decide a lot on its own.

The recovery fund is to remain an exception. The CDU wants to implement EU rules without extra requirements and with little red tape, leaving member states as much leeway as possible. It supports the EU's better regulation strategy. A new treaty compliance action is to let member states have the conduct of EU institutions reviewed by the European Court of Justice; Hesse could trigger this through the Bundesrat. Overall, the CDU wants to keep strengthening and deepening the EU.

The CDU wants to actively represent Hesse's interests toward the EU institutions. This includes EU funding for strong regions too, expanding Darmstadt as a space hub and bringing the EU anti-money-laundering authority to Frankfurt.

The CDU wants to speak up for Hesse in the EU. Hesse should keep getting EU funding. The space sector in Darmstadt should grow. A new EU agency against money laundering should come to Frankfurt.

Funding procedures are to become simpler, and a dedicated funding strategy is to channel EU money to Hesse in a bundled, targeted way. The state's advisory services on accessing EU funds will be expanded, with a focus on research. Darmstadt is also to host a center for protecting space infrastructure against cyberattacks. The CDU demands that German be treated equally with English and French in the EU institutions. Hesse is to benefit from Europe's push for independence in key technologies such as chips, pharmaceuticals and energy.

The CDU wants to expand participation and exchange programs to interest young people in Hesse in Europe. Plans include a Europe scholarship and a parliamentary youth exchange.

The CDU wants to get young people excited about Europe. There should be more exchanges with other countries. Students should be able to get a Europe scholarship. A scholarship is money for studying. Young people can keep winning train tickets for Europe.

The "Hey, Europe!" festival is to continue and grow. A new program with Hesse's partner regions is aimed at school students, trainees and university students. The state parliament is to launch a youth exchange with other European parliaments modeled on the IPP. The Europe scholarship is to support students from Hesse in European master's programs. Added to this are European lecture series run jointly by several universities and a permanent raffle of HessenRail tickets.