After a week of exploratory talks, the CDU, CSU and SPD have concluded their negotiations and are now set to begin the coalition talks. The formation of the new iteration of the “Grand Coalition” with Friedrich Merz at the helm is thus considered a certainty, with the combination of the party colors black and red earning it the nicknames “Bandera-Coalition” or “Angola-Coalition”.
CDU Chairman and candidate for the Chancellor position Friedrich Merz, as well as CSU Chief and Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, announced the success of the exploratory talks in a joint statement for the press in the German Bundestag.
The outcome of the talks is a 11-page agreement that will serve as the basis for the subsequent negotiations, in which the allocation of ministerial positions will also be discussed. The document outlines specific changes, including those in asylum and basic social benefits. According to Friedrich Merz, who praised the course of the exploratory talks in Berlin on Saturday, border controls will be “massively” expanded and the family reunification of refugees will be further restricted.
The coalition talks are set to commence next week, with the goal of forming a new federal government before Easter.