Germany: CDU/CSU alliance and SPD finish preliminary talks – DW – 03/08/2025


Germany: CDU/CSU alliance and SPD finish preliminary talks – DW – 03/08/2025

Published 8 March 2025 The parties negotiating Germany's next coalition government have reached an agreement in their exploratory talks, conservative bloc leader Friedrich Merz said on Saturday. Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) will now move to formal negotiations to form a government with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) of outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz, the parties agreed. Merz is expected to be Germany's next chancellor and has previously spoken of plans to revive Europe's top economy and its armed forces after US President Donald Trump rocked trans-Atlantic relations by casting doubt on the future strength of the NATO alliance. CDU/CSU and SPD to begin formal negotiations Speaking at a news conference in Berlin with Lars Klingbeil, co-leader and parliamentary group leader of the SPD, and other leaders, Merz said agreement had been reached on a whole range of substantive issues. They include a plan to turn away people undocumented migrants and asylum seekers at the land borders, in coordination with neighboring countries. Klingbeil said that the SPD was able to ensure that the recent reform of Germany's citizenship law, allowing shorter eligibility timeframes, would remain in place.