Initial gathering of the European Parliament
The coalition committee of the CDU, CSU, and SPD, set to be the central hub for the new German government, will convene for the first time this Wednesday afternoon. The committee's primary objective is to draft a comprehensive work program by the summer recess, aimed at demonstrating the coalition's ability to advance expeditiously.
Two migration laws have already been passed at the cabinet meeting this morning, including the temporary suspension of family reunification for refugees without asylum status and the abolition of accelerated naturalization after three years.
The coalition's priorities include economic relief measures, such as lowering energy prices or the "investment booster," for the Union, and extending the rent cap and rapidly turning the 500 billion euro investment fund into a law for the SPD. The Union also plans to reduce bureaucracy, while the SPD has inquired about the coordination of migration policies with the Union.
The committee serves as an unofficial body, tasked with coordinating the three parties and the two factions, unlike the traffic light coalition of the past, which was expected to resolve problems. Controversial issues, such as the uncoordinated demand by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz to lift the range limit on weapons for Ukraine, the urge to cease weapon deliveries to Israel, and the potential ban procedure against the AfD may come under discussion.
Controversy surrounds the composition of the committee, with only Saskia Esken, the SPD chairwoman, being a woman in the eleven-person group. The CDU is represented by Federal Chancellor Merz, parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn, and general secretary Carsten Linnemann, while the SPD sends Vice Chancellor and party leader Lars Klingbeil, his co-party leader Esken, and parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch. The CSU has named party leader Markus Söder, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, and the chairman of the CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Alexander Hoffmann.
The committee's monthly meetings may be convened extraordinarily at the request of a coalition partner, with the group aiming to avoid the lengthy crisis talks that characterized the traffic light coalition's meetings. After the committee Meeting, the three party leaders, along with SPD chairman Saskia Esken, will present the results in a press conference.
Sources: ntv.de, hvo/dpa/AFP
- Friedrich Merz
- Lars Klingbeil
- Alexander Dobrindt
- Saskia Esken
- The SPD has expressed a need to coordinate migration policies with the Union, as the coalition seeks to advance expeditiously.
- Despite the largely male composition of the committee, Saskia Esken, the SPD chairwoman, is the only woman in the eleven-person group, serving as a key figure in shaping the coalition's migration policies.
