CDU on foreign affairs and defence

The CDU wants to give the Bundeswehr more support in the state and demand that the federal government keep all bases in Lower Saxony. It sees the armed forces as a contribution to deterring Russia, as a player in disaster protection and as an employer.

The CDU wants to support the Bundeswehr in Lower Saxony. All bases in the state should stay. Police and the Bundeswehr would practice joint disaster operations. There would be more public swearing-in ceremonies for new soldiers.

Police, security agencies and the Bundeswehr would work together more closely in disaster protection and more often practice joint domestic operations led by the police. The state construction management would be told to act quickly on Bundeswehr properties. The CDU wants to promote public swearing-in ceremonies to anchor the armed forces more firmly in society. In the party's view, soldiers deserve more recognition than they have received so far.

The CDU wants to end the state's partnerships with the Russian regions of Perm and Tyumen as long as Russia's government is responsible for breaching international law and for war crimes. It sides with Ukraine. Partnerships with Polish regions are to be deepened.

Lower Saxony has partnerships with two regions in Russia. The CDU wants to end them. The reason is Russia's war against Ukraine. The CDU wants to stand by Ukraine. It wants to work more closely with regions in Poland.

The deepening concerns the Polish voivodeships of Greater Poland and Lower Silesia. At the municipal level, town twinnings with places in Russia and Belarus are also to be ended or suspended. Twinnings with municipalities in democracies and NATO countries, by contrast, are to be revived. The program justifies this by saying the Russian war of aggression calls the European peace order into question.

The CDU wants to widen the state's development cooperation by topic and region. A Lower Saxony foundation for politically persecuted people is also to be set up and award one-year scholarships. The party justifies this with its Christian view of humanity.

Lower Saxony helps regions in poorer countries. The CDU wants to expand this help. It also wants to set up a foundation. The foundation gives money to people who are persecuted for their political views.

The existing partnerships with South Africa's Eastern Cape province and with Tanzania are to be extended to further topics. New projects and partnerships are also planned outside Africa. Clubs, associations and nonprofit organizations are to receive money for projects on health, energy, education, food and agriculture. The foundation is to receive start-up capital. The CDU sees development cooperation as a cross-cutting task for the state administration and civil society.