CDU leader at JU Germany Day - No more dogma of growth? Merz: "Declaration of war on the weak in our country"

CDU leader Friedrich Merz sees the party as a people's party, whose task is also to protect the weak. At the Germany Day of the Junge Union, he criticized the Greens and the SPD.

Merz: "The Union will not leave the weak alone in the future either."

CDU leader Friedrich Merz has promised that his party will not abandon the weak in the future. "The Union will not leave the weak alone in the future either," said Merz on Friday at the Germany Day of the Junge Union (JU) in Münster. In his speech, Merz criticized the Greens and the SPD for neglecting the concerns of people with low incomes. "The Greens and the SPD are increasingly becoming a party that only understands the interests of the well-off," said Merz. "We, on the other hand, are the people's party, and our task is also to protect the weak."

Merz emphasized the importance of economic growth for social cohesion. "We need growth in order to finance our social security systems and to ensure that everyone in our country has the opportunity to live in prosperity," said Merz.

However, Merz also warned against an unbridled pursuit of growth. "We must not return to the dogma of growth of the past," said Merz. "Instead, we need a sustainable growth that takes into account both economic and ecological aspects."

In his speech, Merz also called for a "declaration of war on the weak in our country." He said that the Union must fight against poverty, social exclusion and discrimination. "We must not accept that there are people in our country who live in poverty or are excluded from society," said Merz. "We must fight for a just and inclusive society in which everyone has the opportunity to live in dignity."

Merz's speech was met with applause from the JU delegates. The JU is the youth organization of the CDU. The Germany Day of the JU is held every two years. This year, around 500 delegates from all over Germany took part in the event.