German conservatives and Social Democrats to open exploratory talks
Germany's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democrats plan to start exploratory talks this week on forming a governing coalition following Sunday's federal elections.
The first discussion is planned for Friday, dpa has learned from party circles. Both sides are said to be sending nine negotiators each. The SPD will be represented by party leaders Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken, as well as Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Labour Minister Hubertus Heil.
The team of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has not yet been disclosed.
However, it is expected that, in addition to the likely future chancellor Friedrich Merz, CSU leader Markus Söder and the secretaries-general Carsten Linnemann (CDU) and Martin Huber (CSU) will also join the talks.
A coalition between the conservatives, who came out on top in the election, and the SPD, who came third, is the most likely scenario. However, difficult negotiations are expected - there are significant differences on topics such as migration, the fiscal policy and the Ukraine war.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Germany's Klingbeil to Support Push to End EU Capital-Markets Impasse
German Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said he'll support a push to try to break a deadlock on a decade-old European Union effort to deepen the bloc's capital markets. 'I've agreed with my French counterpart to collaborate' on this, Klingbeil said Friday during his first official visit of the Frankfurt stock exchange since becoming finance minister last month.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Germany's Pistorius again rejects his party's Russia policy demands
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Thursday again rejected demands from his centre-left colleagues for a reversal in the government's Russia policy, citing ongoing Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine. "How anyone can even imagine closer cooperation with Russia at this stage is completely baffling," Pistorius, one of the leading figures in Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), told public broadcaster ZDF. His comments come after prominent SPD figures issued a position paper calling for a shift in Germany's approach to Russia. The manifesto, signed by former parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich, ex-party chief Norbert Walter-Borjans, foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner, and several federal and state lawmakers, urges direct diplomatic talks with Moscow and criticizes the government's rearmament plans. The SPD is the current junior partner in the coalition government. Speaking from Kiev on Thursday, Pistorius responded by referring to former SPD chancellor Willy Brandt. He said Brandt supported strong defence spending because he knew that "negotiations with the Soviet side could only take place from a position of strength." Germany is the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine behind the United States.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
European allies reaffirm 'unwavering support' for Ukraine in Rome
European foreign ministers have reiterated their "unwavering support for Ukraine," during a conference hosted by Italy's top diplomat Antonio Tajani in Rome on Thursday. The meeting focussing on EU security and the war in Ukraine was attended by the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland, alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. It came less than a month before the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference, scheduled for July 10-11, at which some 2,000 representatives from politics, business and international organizations plan to discuss Ukraine's long-term prospects. In a joint declaration, the ministers affirmed their commitment to Ukraine's "people, democracy, security, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Ukraine's Sybiha: "Our support ... for Ukraine remains rock solid: politically, economically and militarily." Asked by a journalist when he was planning his first call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the German minister said he currently did not see any reason or opening for such a move. Wadephul, who took office on May 6, said Germany would always coordinate such steps with its European partners. While stressing that Berlin was "naturally always open to negotiations" in this format, Wadephul said that it must be "acknowledged that Russia is not ready to negotiate, but is seeking war." As long as this is the case, "we stand firmly alongside Ukraine." Wadephul's comments came amid a debate back home sparked by members of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in government, who have called for direct diplomatic calls with Russia. Both the SPD leadership, as well as Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who like Wadephul belongs to the conservative bloc, have rejected the demands, stressing that the recent heavy attacks on Ukraine showed that Russia was nowhere near ready to negotiate. After a bilateral meeting with Tajani, Wadephul's schedule sees him leave Rome for the Middle East on Thursday evening. Through Sunday, he plans to visit a host of countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.
