The parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU, Jens Spahn, has acknowledged shortcomings in the handling of recent events surrounding three unsuccessful candidate nominations for judges on the Federal Constitutional Court.
According to a report in “Bild”, the acknowledgement comes in a letter Spahn addressed to members of his parliamentary group. In the correspondence, Spahn stated that the leadership of the group, including himself as leader, underestimated “the dimension of the fundamental and substantive concerns regarding one of the candidates.
Spahn expressed regret that the perception arose that a suspected case of plagiarism was the primary issue. He clarified that it represented merely the final trigger that made securing a majority in the upcoming election unachievable. He indicated that the decision to postpone the process, termed a “safety brake” came too late.
The letter also attributed responsibility to the SPD parliamentary group leadership, stating a failure to reach a compromise on Friday was a shared failing. “Both sides bear their share” the “Bild” report quotes from the letter. Spahn noted he had engaged in extensive discussions over the weekend, both internally and with the coalition partner and expressed confidence in finding a resolution together with the SPD.
Spahn further announced a review of the strategy for cooperation with the SPD. He stated that the parliamentary group leadership would utilize the summer period to draw appropriate conclusions, particularly concerning future collaboration, both within the group and between the coalition factions. The importance of mutual understanding and trust in this process was highlighted, with the upcoming closed-door meeting of the executive committees of the CDU/CSU and SPD at the end of August being designated as a vital component.
