Dennis Radtke, head of the CDU’s employee wing, opened a frank critique of his party’s public image in the current social debate. “In recent weeks the Union’s appearance has been poor” he told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. Radtke added that a collection of disparate, individual proposals cannot form a cohesive concept that the public will support. He stressed that while the pressure for reform in Germany is “undeniable” the real task lies in tying those various issues together. “This applies to both the government and the internal CDU debates” he said.
Radtke welcomed an internal call for greater order from party leader Friedrich Merz. “I do not see this statement as a gag order but as a plea for discipline” Radtke remarked, quoting Merz’s recent call, made behind closed doors during a CDU leadership meeting, for members to refrain from pushing out extreme, isolated social‑policy proposals ahead of the upcoming state elections.
In recent weeks, several CDU initiatives on social reform sparked irritation. The party’s economic wing criticized Germany’s “lifestyle part‑time” trend, while the CDU Economic Council demanded that dental treatments no longer be covered by statutory health insurance.