With the official appointment of Friedrich Merz as party chairman this Saturday, the CDU is hoping for an end to an agonizingly long, ultimately self-destructive phase.

The open leadership question has shrunk the people's party, it seems disoriented.

Those who currently have such high expectations of the still fresh-looking red-green-yellow traffic light alliance should also regret that.

Because the ambitious and economically extremely risky energy policy restructuring of the industrialized country remains an experiment to the success of which the CDU and CSU in the opposition can contribute a lot - at least if they calibrate their compass back to the market economy.

To do this, Merz would have to dampen the influence of the powerful social wing, not an easy task.

As is well known, opposition tends to tempt people to demand new government services.

The FDP is too weak to counter the traffic lights

But after the pandemic, the aim is to end the aid financed on credit in order to build up reserves for the unknown next crisis during the upswing.

Instead, the traffic light is about to turn the state into a permanent subsidy machine in climate protection that compensates for all hardships - and at the same time cheerfully continue the irresponsible policy of the grand coalition to expand social services on an unsecured financial basis.

The FDP is too weak to counter the traffic lights.

What is needed is a CDU that, with Merz, is taking on the task of seriously looking for market and private-sector alternatives and, if necessary, campaigning against strong resistance. What is needed is a CDU that shows how claims on the state can be limited , for example through targeted restructuring of services and reduction of deadweight effects.

Since Merz could use the expertise of the social wing.

Last but not least, what is needed is a CDU that contributes to a climate of trust in the economy.

Unfortunately, under Angela Merkel, the Christian Democrats had also gotten into the habit of patronizing companies when in doubt and overloading them with controls and tasks beyond their actual business and paralyzing them.

If the Merz-CDU uses its chance to make such a course correction, the whole country will benefit.