After the CDU congress ended, party leader and chancellor Friedrich Merz defended the party’s firm stance on the debt brake while announcing that the coalition agreement would still be honored. “We have a clear agreement in the coalition treaty that allows a review” Merz said following the ARD‑organized congress. The main message of the congress, however, was clear: “During this electoral term we are taking on enough debt for defense and for infrastructure. I see no room-and I told the federal finance minister as well-for taking on more debt in the foreseeable future”. In contrast, he stressed that borrowing must be limited. “This has to do with currency and financial market stability; the leeway has largely been exhausted” the chancellor added.
The congress rejected a comprehensive proposal from young CDU politicians, including a scheme to end the “pension at 63” but that does not preclude the pension commission from ultimately arriving at relevant outcomes. “The proposals from the Young Union are certainly worth considering” Merz said. “The chair of the young group sits on the commission, and there he can put forward his ideas. If he makes them majoritarian in that commission-à la bonheur” the chancellor concluded.
