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CDU and SPD present initial results of negotiations! Friedrich Merz: Trust is growing
2025-03-25 23:45:25 / BOTA
Germany's three main center-right parties presented the results of the first round of coalition negotiations after February's federal parliamentary elections on Monday.
The winner of the election, the conservative bloc formed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), has been negotiating to form a coalition government with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
The parties were able to reach an agreement to pass a historic debt reform and financing package in preliminary consultative talks, but there now appear to be significant points of disagreement between the conservatives and the SPD, particularly regarding migration.
What is the outlook for German coalition negotiations?
CDU leader and potential chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has said he wants the negotiations to be concluded by Easter, which this year falls on April 20. The main reason for this rush to get a functioning government up and running is the uncertainty caused by the Trump administration in the US and concerns about how it could affect Germany and its already recession-hit economy.
But it remains to be seen whether the three parties can reach an agreement that is satisfactory enough for all involved within this timeframe.
Merz is under pressure to offer something to his conservative base, especially after he has been criticized for helping to reform the "debt brake" by paving the way for a massive increase in public spending after previously campaigning against such a measure.
He has also refused to form a coalition with the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party that has campaigned heavily against migration and is likely to try to woo CDU voters if Merz fails to deliver on his campaign promises to overhaul Germany's migration policies.
However, since Merz has also ruled out the possibility of governing with a minority government, the SPD is the only party with which he could form a coalition, giving the center-left an advantage in negotiations.
Everyone warns the SPD not to block asylum reform.
Speaking about the negotiations, one of the main points of their disagreement, CSU leader and Bavarian state premier Markus Söder addressed the issue of migration.
"Restricting migration was one of the main campaign promises of the unionist parties. There will be a fundamental change of course: illegal migration must be restricted," he said.
Söder's words were echoed by the Prime Minister of the federal state of Hesse, Boris Rhein, who said:
“The political change means that we must also reduce illegal migration to zero. Hence: rejections at the borders and the end of family reunification. “The next four years are decisive,” Rhein told the German newspaper Handelsblatt. The SPD should not overdo it, he said, noting that the Social Democrats received only 16.4% of the vote.
There were also warnings within the SPD, with former leader Sigmar Gabriel advising his party to refrain from blocking conservative plans to reform migration and asylum policy.
CDU leader Merz: "Trust is growing"
Although there has been much reporting on conflicts between the CDU/CSU and the SPD over the formation of a new government, CDU leader Friedrich Merz said on Monday that the most important news is the progress being made.
"The atmosphere continues to improve, trust is growing. We need to be able to trust each other." Merz added that he would not give in to calls to move things faster, saying, "I am very confident that we can do it."
Those involved in the working groups said there were still issues to be resolved, calling for a second phase aimed at eliminating differences in detail.
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann said the coming weeks would be crucial, but echoed the CDU/CSU mantra that simply continuing with old policies was not an option: "We remain determined on this."
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil said it was "completely normal" to see some friction between the parties, but highlighted progress, saying: "It's not about who wins, who collects what trophies. On the contrary, it's about the responsibility we share for our country."
In total, 16 working groups participated in the first phase of discussions. From there, party leaders and teams will now seek to address the points on which consensus remained elusive./ DW
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