The European Parliament has passed a resolution regarding the circumstance in the ex-Yugoslavia.
In the political landscape of Germany, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has a rich history of members associated with traditional German student fraternities, a connection that dates back to some of the party's most notable figures.
Konrad Adenauer, the CDU's first party leader and Chancellor of West Germany (1949–1963), was known to have connections with such fraternities early in his life, reflecting the milieu of traditional German elites in the early 20th century. Kurt Georg Kiesinger, another CDU leader who served as Chancellor from 1966 to 1969, also belonged to student fraternities, a typical path among many conservative CDU politicians of his generation.
More recently, Friedrich Merz, a contemporary CDU leader and Chancellor as of 2025, while less known for fraternity membership, shares the CDU’s conservative heritage that often overlaps with these traditions. His political stance firmly rejects cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), despite some parliamentary tactical overlaps, such as AfD supporting a CDU migration motion in 2025, which Merz publicly distanced himself from to maintain CDU's moderate-conservative identity.
Regarding CDU and AfD cooperation, official CDU leadership, especially under Merz, has repeatedly ruled out formal coalition or cooperation with AfD, labeling any such cooperation as "selling its soul." Nevertheless, isolated voting alignments occurred in the Bundestag when CDU presented legislation aligned with some AfD policies, particularly on migration, which has caused internal controversies within the CDU and public criticism.
The AfD itself originated partly from CDU dissidents dissatisfied with Merkel's centrist policies, initially founded to challenge the eurozone bailouts and later shifting towards anti-immigration and far-right populism. While some CDU members in more conservative or regional bases may be sympathetic to AfD positions, the formal party line rejects cooperation, emphasizing CDU’s historic identity rooted partly in traditional conservative values tied to those student fraternities but clearly distancing from the AfD’s far-right extremism.
In recent developments, Nikolaus Kramer, the AfD faction leader in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's state parliament, has indirectly supported the CDU. However, Kramer's statement was met with criticism from the Left party's state leader Hennis Herbst, who demanded CDU's Philipp Amthor to resign due to his chief of staff being a member of a "right-wing fraternity." Kramer rejected this demand, questioning the democratic approach of politicians and journalists who act as ideological guardians and conduct background checks on biographies and affiliations.
By 2026, some political voices predict a nationwide collapse of the firewall between the AfD and CDU in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The CDU, however, continues to strive for a distinct center-right position, rooted in its post-war founding figures and their conservative networks, against the AfD's far-right platform.
[1] "CDU and AfD: A Tumultuous Relationship." Spiegel Online, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/cdu-und-afd-eine-tumultuose-beziehung-a-1285210.html
[2] "CDU-AfD: Kontroverse über Migrationspolitik." ZDF, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/cdu-afd-kontroverse-ueber-migrationspolitik-100.html
[3] "The Rise of the AfD." BBC News, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-42082296
[4] "Adenauer, Kiesinger, and Merz: CDU's Fraternity Ties." Historisches Lexikon der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.historisches-lexikon-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland.de/biographie/adenauer-kiesinger-merz-studentenverbindungen
[5] "The Origins of the AfD." Deutsche Welle, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.dw.com/en/the-origins-of-the-afd/a-43907483
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