After the CDU party congress, Johannes Winkel, chairman of the Young Union, described the party and the coalition as standing at a critical crossroads. “Both the state and the party face a decision point: next year there will be a €60‑billion shortfall in the budget” he told the “Rheinische Post” (Monday issue).
He explained that for this year the party must either adopt a socially balanced yet financially effective reform of the welfare state, or, if it chooses, completely dismantle the debt brakes next year, a decision that would depend on the positions of Heidi Reichinnek and the Left party.
The motion presented at the congress aimed to prohibit any further dissolution of the debt brakes. The fact that it was adopted signals that not only the Young Union but the entire CDU is unwilling to steer the country toward structural state debt.
Winkel also called for greater readiness for reform. “We can no longer ignore demographic change; reforms must come this year” he said.
