“Bound by responsibility” is the motto for the CDU federal party conference in Stuttgart on February 20–21. It is the party’s first major meeting since Friedrich Merz became chancellor in May 2025 and the Union (CDU and CSU) returned to lead the federal government. The slogan signals a focus on duty and necessary measures rather than ambitious new initiatives.
Pressure for action is mounting. CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann has spoken of a hoped-for “year of change” and urged the federal government to present a reform package before spring. The Stuttgart gathering must show the party is prepared to deliver reforms.
In Germany’s political system, federal party conferences are important moments for reassurance, criticism and campaigning. The choice of Stuttgart as venue also carries electoral significance: Baden-Württemberg holds state elections two weeks after the conference. Four more states will hold elections before the end of September; in two of those—Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt—the CDU currently leads the state government. A key question is whether Merz’s “chancellor bonus” can translate into gains elsewhere.
At the national level the Union parties are polling below expectations. They won 28.5% in the February 2025 federal election but recent polls put them at around 26%, an unusually low figure. Membership has also fallen: the CDU reported 356,769 members at the end of 2025, about 8,000 fewer than a year earlier and roughly 27,500 fewer than at the end of 2021.
Meanwhile, the federal coalition of the Union and the SPD has been entangled for months in disputes over social policy reforms, including pensions, employment and health care. The government has set up commissions for several of these issues. Linnemann is advocating a master plan to boost Germany as a business location and to coordinate reforms more effectively.
Debate has been intense both between coalition partners and within the CDU. Leading figures have made statements that sounded more like opposition rhetoric than unified government messaging. Under Merz, many senior party voices have shifted toward greater economic liberalism and have voiced sharp criticism of the CDU’s past direction.
A notable flashpoint came from the party’s business wing, the Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT), which proposed a draft titled “No legal right to lifestyle part-time.” The word “lifestyle”—used to suggest a preference for part-time work over fuller employment—was later removed after internal criticism. Other contentious proposals, voiced by groups close to the CDU, included shifting more dental costs to patients rather than covering them through public health insurance. Calls from parts of the party for longer workweeks, later retirement ages and greater private provision for old age reflect business sector concerns about weak growth.
How such Berlin debates land locally was on the mind of one of the 1,001 delegates in Stuttgart, Marc Speicher, 41, mayor of Saarlouis and a member of the CDU federal board. Speicher praised the Union-led government for restoring Germany’s international standing under Merz and for advancing trade and domestic policies, citing deals like Mercosur and new agreements with India. He said Germany had “a lot of catching up to do after three years of red lights,” referring to the previous coalition.
Saarlouis itself faces major economic change: Ford once employed large numbers there, and the region now pins hope on planned industrial projects. Speicher—one of the few former social welfare committee representatives on the federal board—argued that the CDU has historically succeeded when it presented a broad, inclusive profile. “The people want a CDU which confidently states what it stands for,” he said.
On the party’s internal policy tensions, Speicher urged caution. He said it was wise to take responsibility for party colleagues in state election campaigns in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate and not react impulsively to every proposal. With reform commissions already in place at the government level, he stressed the need to balance necessary reforms with their acceptance among the wider public.
The conference will also feature a surprise guest: former chancellor Angela Merkel, who will attend the first day as a guest of honor—the first in-person CDU appearance for the 71-year-old since 2019. The intense reaction to her participation underlines the party’s current state of flux and sparked speculation about the message she intends to send. Observers wondered whether she might publicly critique Merz or signal a reminder of past leadership. Whatever occurs in Merz’s speech or in the vote on his re-election as party leader, Merkel will be closely informed and her presence is certain to attract attention.
This article was originally written in German.