Following the CDU party conference in Stuttgart, Steffen Bilger – the parliamentary manager of the Union faction in the Bundestag – said the Union parties are closer together than they have been for years. “We know what we want and where we want to go with this country” he told the “Rheinische Post” on Monday. He added that the same cohesion should guide the Union faction’s work and explicitly praised CSU leader Markus Söder’s address at the congress. “Markus Söder, with his speech, underscored the signal of unity that emanates from the conference – not only within the CDU but across the entire Union family”.