CDU and CSU in eco mode: Suddenly green

In the CSU National Group, they have set up two strategy groups, which deal in a broader sense with ecology: One examined on behalf of the country's group leader Alexander Dobrindt's own electorate potential from the point of retrieving as much of the Greens. In the other group, mechanisms of action of eco-topics are analyzed. And after the summer break, the CDU even holds a so-called workshop talk on climate and environmental policy.

"The Union has always been the party of preserving creation from our Christian principles," Secretary-General Paul Ziemiak said at the beginning of the week following the CDU Bureau's meeting. The only problem is that voters seldom think of black sister parties in the context of ecology.

CDU and CSU have long been far behind the Greens in polls on which parties have the greatest environmental competences - and at the same time the issue is becoming more and more important to citizens. "When it becomes obvious that a topic is occupying people, it is clear that each party wants to show something in this field," says the researcher Andrea Wolf, head of the research group Elections. "It would be criminal if they did not care about the subject."

The CDU swing in climate policy

December 21, 2018

The Junge Union Baden-Württemberg demands: "The teachers have to rigorously punish school tuition accordingly." In order to enable the teachers to act effectively, we demand that such absenteeism be documented in the future. "

February 8, 2019

CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak tweets: "Greta Thunberg finds German coal compromise 'absurd' - Oh, one ... no word about jobs, security of supply, affordability, just pure ideology." In addition to a monkey with his eyes closed, he adds "Poor Greta!".

16th of February

Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at the Munich Security Conference on "hybrid warfare on the Internet". And says: "In Germany, the children are now protesting for climate protection." This is a really important concern, but that suddenly all German children - after years without any external influence - come up with the idea that you have to make this protest, you can Also, campaigns can be made much easier today over the Internet. "

February 22nd

A Civey poll for SPIEGEL ONLINE reveals that the majority of Germans seem to be behind the student strikes. In the following weeks, the strikes are getting bigger - and on a much-discussed topic

2nd March

Angela Merkel explains in her video podcast: "I very much support the fact that students take to the streets and fight for climate protection, and I believe that this is a very good initiative." The climate protection goals are only achievable if there is support in society. They very much welcome the fact that young people admonish to do something quickly against global warming.

4th of March

Paul Ziemiak warns of an "exit madness" in environmental and climate protection. It is "good when young people get involved", but one must "combine the issues of environmental and climate protection and economic viability with each other," he says the "Passauer Neue Presse to the student protests" Friday for Future "

5. March

Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier explains in the ARD Morgenmagazin: "Climate protection will only work if our prosperity is not endangered by it". Jobs should not be lost and industries should not migrate. Therefore, "step by step" must be taken. "We have to be smart and not polarize and ideologize."

March, 15

Students, young people and adults worldwide take to the streets for climate protection in more than 100 countries. According to the ZDF political barometer, two out of three Germans support the student demonstrations during class time.

17. March

CSU national group chief Alexander Dobrindt praises the student strikes: "I think it's good if a generation makes loud attention to their needs, which can also be on a Friday morning," he tells the "Bild am Sonntag". Finally, education also includes ecological education.

March, 20th

A draft of the 2019 European Election Program by the CDU and CSU seeps through: "We call for the global pricing of greenhouse gas emissions and their rapid implementation," the text says - "if necessary, first at G20 level".

March, 20th

CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announces her party's greater involvement in climate policy: "It is true that the CDU must become more proactive in climate protection," she tells the weekly newspaper Die Zeit. "The old battle order - the one for climate protection and the other against it - we no longer do with it, which will not please everyone in the party." And further: "You can not protect the climate without people noticing."

28th March

Kramp-Karrenbauer explains in Berlin: "In all honesty, we must clearly tell the citizens: There is no climate protection that nobody is somehow affected by". The Federal Government wants to adopt an ambitious climate protection law this year. "Climate change will be felt, possibly in the form of higher energy prices" or other mobility or construction requirements. That will not only hit companies, but their customers as well.

March 30

The CDU business wing is advancing with a concept for the radical expansion of emissions trading for pollution rights: "In order for climate protection to be maximally effective, carbon-emitting sectors must also be included in emissions trading, which have so far been excluded, starting with the transport and transport sector the heat sector, "demands the union of SMEs of the Union.

2nd of April

Angela Merkel praises the strikes in a discussion with students. "That this signal is set, 'there is concern' - that's good for us." At the same time, the Federal Chancellor is making strong changes in the transport sector so that Germany can meet its climate protection goals by 2030. "We can only achieve this through a radical change to electromobility or hydrogen or other things," says Merkel. From 1990 to today, the transport sector has not been able to contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Now, by 2030, CO2 emissions in the transport sector must be reduced by 40 percent.

The strategists of the Union parties have now recognized this - and are now trying to catch up with what has been missed in recent years. However, this happens at a pace that could irritate one or the other voters.

For example, at the beginning of February CDU Secretary General Ziemiak posted the following tweet:

Greta Thunberg finds German coal compromise "absurd" - Oh, you ... not a word about jobs, security of supply, affordability. Only pure ideology Poor Greta! https://t.co/oIU4VrwRJx

Now he announced that he would even invite organizers of the "Fridays for Future" demonstrations to an interview at the CDU headquarters.

But the impact of the topic is now so great that you could not help the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, than to redirect. 67 percent of respondents to the ZDF Politbarometer in mid-March and as many as 77 percent of under-30s said they thought it would be good for students to demonstrate more climate protection during class time. And: Even among the supporters of the Union are 56 percent for and only 44 percent against the student strikes. Among the under 50 -year-old Union supporters, the approval is even at 61 percent, as shown by analyzes of the research group elections for SPIEGEL.

In addition, more and more Germans consider climate protection to be extremely important. At 21 percent, the energy transition and climate protection rank second in the list of the most important problems, behind the Foreigners and Integration (27 percent). "This topic has worked upwards in recent months," says Demoskopin Wolf. Union supporters also call energy and climate the second most popular.

Thus it can be explained that the CSU chairman and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has taken over the position of the referendum "Save the bees" and wants to translate directly into legal regulations. Likewise, the fact that the Union's European elections program calls for a long-term rejection of CO2 pricing.

Pressure on the Union parties is growing

The union has misjudged, says 18-year-old Jakob Blasel from Kronshagen near Kiel, one of the organizers of the "Fridays for Future" protest. "Many politicians have not expected that the popularity of the population is so great for us." But Blasel, even in the green youth organization "Green Youth", and his colleagues are skeptical. "We do not want demonstrative affection, but concrete change," he says.

"The only thing we believe in is action, and so far the Union has barely moved." Blasel says, "Politicians like Angela Merkel or Alexander Dobrindt, who have not taken climate policy seriously for years, can only be serious if they really act."

The pressure on the CDU and the CSU, in particular with regard to young voters or those who can only take part in elections in a few years, is all the greater. They seem to be lost in droves to the Green competition. Especially since, in view of the copyright debate, this is not the only area where young people are particularly skeptical about their sister parties - because they do not feel that they and their interests are taken seriously.