CDU on democracy and the state

The CDU wants to found a research institute in Saxony that studies what holds a pluralistic democracy together. Its findings are meant to strengthen democratic resilience and give policymakers options for action.

The CDU wants to found a new institute. Researchers there will study what holds society together. They will also look at eastern Germany since 1989. Politicians should learn from the results. This should make democracy stronger.

The institute is to be called the "Institute for Social Cohesion and Resilience." One focus is on political and social developments in eastern Germany and East-Central Europe since 1989/90. Using social-science analysis, it is to show policymakers ways to counter developments the party considers harmful.

The CDU wants to create additional positions at courts, prosecutors' offices and in the prison service, especially in rural areas. It justifies this with the goal of consistent prosecution and fast proceedings. It keeps closed confinement as the standard and retains fast-track proceedings.

The CDU wants more staff for courts and prisons. Young lawyers should find it easier to start. Punishment should follow quickly after a crime. Prisoners should normally stay in closed prisons.

Plans include a mentoring program for young lawyers and raising the maximum hiring age for probationary judges from 42 to 45. Fully qualified lawyers could enter directly as local prosecutors (Amtsanwälte), and career paths from court clerk to local prosecutor would become more open. More training centers for legal trainees are to open in mid-sized towns, and the trainee bonus becomes permanent. In the prison service the CDU wants to test voluntary service beyond retirement, support bonuses for trainees and ease transfers from the police. Repeat high-volume offenders are to be prosecuted with top priority.

The CDU wants to ease the burden on volunteers: through a flat-rate contract, the state is to cover GEMA (music licensing) fees for club events, the monthly volunteer allowance is to rise, and reporting duties are to shrink. Volunteers are thus to have more time for their actual work.

The CDU wants to help volunteers. Volunteers work freely and without pay. Saxony should pay music fees for club events. The allowance for volunteers should go up. Clubs should have less paperwork.

The GEMA contract is to cover fees for a set number of non-commercial events per year held by nonprofit clubs in Saxony; clubs would only need to register their event. The allowance is to be raised under the "Wir für Sachsen" funding program, and the existing flat-rate allowances for volunteers and instructors will stay. The volunteer card is to be offered as an app with more benefits. The CDU wants to fund training and appeals to employers to grant time off for it. The state prevention council is to draw up a plan with associations and churches to protect minors from sexual violence in volunteer settings. Support for volunteer fire departments and disaster response continues.

The CDU wants a "municipal freedom act" to give cities, towns and counties more room to act. They would be allowed to deviate from state rules in individual cases. The platform justifies this with the aim of rolling back regulation and what it sees as excessive standards.

The CDU wants a new law for towns and cities. It would let them decide more things themselves. In some cases they could set aside state rules. The CDU says there are too many rules.

The planned act would let municipalities deviate from certain state regulations in individual cases. Local authorities would be able to do so on request and for a limited period. For tasks once handed to the counties as mandatory duties under state instruction, the CDU wants to strengthen local decision-making power. The party will also examine whether, as administration goes digital, some mandatory tasks could be returned to the federal or state level. It expects more freedom to bring more creativity among local leaders and more civic engagement.

The CDU rejects a territorial reform imposed by law. Instead it wants to support voluntary mergers of municipalities and new forms of cooperation.

The CDU does not want to merge towns by law. Towns should only merge if they choose to. The CDU wants to help them with that. Towns should also be able to work together more.

The platform provides for targeted support for municipalities that decide on their own to merge. New forms of municipal cooperation are to be encouraged, including larger voluntary alliances across town and county lines. The CDU regards the existing municipal structure as proven; it considers cooperation across larger areas useful for major economic growth projects.

The CDU wants to expand citizens' ability to take part directly in decisions, especially at the municipal level. To that end, the laws on popular petitions, initiatives and referendums are to be reviewed and developed further.

Citizens should have more direct say. This applies mainly to towns and cities. The CDU wants to review the laws on referendums. Then it wants to improve these laws.

The platform describes municipalities as places where decisions directly affect people's daily lives and wants to strengthen direct democracy there. The rules on popular petitions, initiatives and referendums are to be critically reviewed and updated. This is to happen in agreement with the municipalities. The CDU justifies this with the goal of a lively, robust democracy in the face of social change.