CDU on the economy

The CDU declares innovation funding the top priority of its economic policy. State funding is to continue in a more targeted way with less red tape, and universities, research institutions, and companies are to work together more closely.

The CDU wants to support new ideas in business more strongly. Funding should become simpler. Universities and companies should work together more. There should be new professorships, for example for artificial intelligence. Starting a company should become easier.

Business-oriented research institutions and technology and start-up centers are to become innovation hubs, where state equity stakes and company start-ups should be possible more often. Universities are to get incentives to cooperate more with business, and spin-offs are to become easier. The CDU plans new professorships in fields such as artificial intelligence and e-commerce. Companies are to get easier access to universities' technical facilities, and initiatives such as the Technikum Thüringen will continue to be supported. An "Innovation Prize 60 plus" is meant to publicize ideas from older people.

The CDU wants to support industry networks and thematic clusters, especially in key technologies. Where federal funding expires in areas important to Thuringia, the state is to step in with its own money.

The CDU wants to support networks of companies in the same industry. This applies above all to important technologies, like optics or medical technology. When federal funding ends, the state should keep paying. This applies to areas that matter for Thuringia.

The key technologies named in the platform include lightweight construction, microelectronics, information and communication technology, optics, nano-, environmental, and biotechnologies, new materials, advanced production technology, and organic electronics. The aerospace industry and medical technology are also listed. Expiring federal funding programs are to be continued with state money in important areas.

The CDU wants to make greater use of raw materials from Thuringia, especially timber but also gypsum, gravel, sand and salts, in regional value chains. Timber construction is to be made easier under building law, and a timber innovation center is to be set up.

The CDU wants to use more raw materials from Thuringia. Wood is the most important one. Building with wood should become easier. A new center should do research on wood.

The program links the use of local raw materials to structural change in rural areas. Building regulations are to be relaxed further for timber construction, and building with sustainable materials is to receive special support. A timber innovation center is to research new uses of wood, especially in climate-friendly construction. Science, practitioners and policymakers are to work closely together so that Thuringia becomes a central hub of the wood-based bioeconomy.

The CDU wants technology neutrality and competition to guide the transformation of the automotive and supplier industry and the energy sector. It rejects the federal heating law and the EU-wide ban on combustion engines and instead wants companies to do more research and development.

The CDU is against the federal heating law. It is also against the EU ban on combustion engines. Companies should decide for themselves which technology they use. Companies in Thuringia should do more research.

The program names Thuringia's automotive and supplier industry and the energy sector as industries in transition. Technology neutrality and competition, rather than bans, are to shape this change. As examples of bans it rejects, the CDU cites the federal heating law and the EU-wide phase-out of the combustion engine. As an alternative, it wants to raise the research and development rate of Thuringian companies.

The CDU wants to secure tourism in all regions of Thuringia and fund tourism infrastructure reliably. Funding is to become simpler, and Thuringia is to advertise with the lead brand "Das Grüne Herz Deutschlands" (Germany's green heart).

The CDU wants to strengthen tourism all over Thuringia. Towns with many tourists should be able to pay for their offers reliably. Funding should become simpler. Thuringia should advertise itself as "Germany's green heart."

In municipalities where tourism matters, maintaining tourism infrastructure is to count as a mandatory task. The tourism strategy will be updated with a focus on food, history, culture, sports and nature; the funding needs of destination management organizations are to be reflected in the state budget. Tourism funding is to focus on quality and also cover replacement investments. Spa and resort towns are to be taken into account in the reform of municipal finances. Tourist public transport lines, more bike paths, better event marketing and regional Thuringia ambassadors are also planned.

The CDU wants to fund city centers through lump-sum downtown budgets instead of individually approved projects. Funding for city management is to continue, and municipalities are to receive money to tackle vacant storefronts.

The CDU wants to bring life to city centers. Towns should get a fixed budget for this. Then they do not have to apply for every small measure. Towns should also get money to deal with empty shops.

The program considers the current funding of individual projects inflexible and time-consuming. With downtown budgets, city management or business development offices are to carry out smaller measures such as greenery, events or information systems without separate applications. Funding for city management in mid-sized and larger regional centers will continue. To counter vacancies, municipalities are to be able to subsidize interim rentals, conversions, pop-up stores or temporary use of shop windows.