German CDU’s General Secretary Carsten Linnemann Refuses to Confirm Report on Special Funds
German CDU’s General Secretary Carsten Linnemann declined to confirm a report suggesting a discussion of special funds in the CDU’s sondierungsreihen, a series of confidential talks among party officials. The report, which was not officially confirmed, mentioned a proposal of 400 billion euros for the German military and an additional 400 to 500 billion euros for infrastructure.
When questioned by the news channel “Welt”, Linnemann stated he was not familiar with the numbers, adding that he did not receive any information about the proposal from his working group. “I sit in this group, which advises on this and in that sense, I should have some information from this group. And only this group interests me. And if we agree on confidentiality, then that means confidentiality” he said.
Linnemann also emphasized the need for discretion and discipline during the sondierungsreihen, warning that daily public discussions would not lead to success. “We need to finish by Easter and if we start discussing things publicly every day, that will not lead to success. Can I already say that? Can you forget it?” he said. “If we start publishing things outside every day, that will not lead to success.” In general, Linnemann felt that all the negotiators understood that the defense capability of Germany and Europe is “Priority Number One”.