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How Merkel’s CDU plans for half of key party posts to be filled by women

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) is planning for equal representation of women within the party, according to sources. Here's how and why.

Published: 8 July 2020 09:13 CEST
Updated: 8 July 2020 11:18 CEST
How Merkel's CDU plans for half of key party posts to be filled by women
Members of the CDU leadership including party chair Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (third left) and Chanceller Angela Merkel next to her in November 2019. Photo: DPA

After lengthy negotiations, a commission in the centre-right CDU has proposed that an equal number of women and men fill posts in the group's leadership by 2025.

The plan on the proportion of women in party offices and seats provides for a gradual increase in the quota for governing bodies starting at the regional level. On January 1st, 2021, a quota of 30 percent for women is to apply, and in January 2023 a quota of 40 percent is to be met. At the beginning of 2025, the quota for women will be 50 percent.

The compromise came after 11 hours of tough negotiations by the CDU's Structural and Statue Commission, said DPA on Wednesday.

It's not set in stone yet: the plans on the binding quota have to be approved at the CDU's federal party conference in Stuttgart, scheduled for early December.

READ ALSO: 'How much do you earn?' New law tackles gender pay gap

Why is the party proposing this?

Although the top two jobs are held by women (the party's current leader is Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Merkel is Germany's first female Chancellor), women make up only a quarter of CDU members. This is something the party leadership wants to change and hopes introducing a quota will help.

Other parties in Germany, such as the Left Party, the SPD and Greens, which is led by a woman and man team of Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck, already hold similar policies.

The CDU plans will include similar rules in composing its lists for elections to the state, national and European parliaments.

READ ALSO: More men named 'Hans' than women in top government jobs

A system will also be put in place so that local party groups can report on their progress in increasing their share of women members.

What does it mean?

If passed, the regulation will apply to group elections of board members, such as deputy chairpersons and committee members, but not to individual elections of chairpersons, member representatives or treasurers at federal level.

It would only be possible to deviate from the women's quota if not enough women apply.

The commission also proposes to introduce a “political parental leave” (politische Elternzeit).

Having children should not be a problem to political commitment, the commission said. At all levels, from the local association to the federal executive board, the proposal would allow for parents to suspend posts for up to a year and then resume the post.

According to the proposal, parents should only be able to be voted out of office by a two-thirds majority during this period.

Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: DPA

However, the plans are subject to approval at the CDU party conference. And there are already signs of resistance within the party against the idea which was put forward by CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

The CDU Economic Council questioned if a quota was needed given the strong representation of women at the top of the party.

“I wonder whether the CDU needs this debate on women's issues at all in view of a German Chancellor, an EU Commission President and currently still a party leader, as well as three out of five heads of its federal ministries in female hands,” the President of the CDU-affiliated association, Astrid Hamker, told newspaper the Passauer Neue Presse.

“To me, approaches such as that of Ms Merkel for the economy or that of Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer for the CDU seem rather over-motivated and unrealistic.”

Debate on status of CDU's lesbian and gay group

Part of Kramp-Karrenbauer's initiative is also a revaluation of the status of the Lesbian and Gay people in the Union (LSU) group. If the party leader gets her way, the LSU is to be put on an equal footing with the student union RCDS, which can introduce its own motions at party conventions.

However, the discussion about a clear status for the LSU was postponed to Wednesday morning after the debate during the night, DPA said.

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COST OF LIVING

Kindergeld and tax relief: How Germany’s planned 2025 budget could affect you

After tough and drawn-out negotiations, the German coalition reached a draft agreement on spending for next year. Here's what we know so far.

Published: 5 July 2024 16:48 CEST
Kindergeld and tax relief: How Germany's planned 2025 budget could affect you

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the SPD, looked buoyant even with no sleep. 

The Social Democrat had pulled an all-nighter along with his coalition colleagues. Luckily it resulted in a solid outcome. 

The SPD, Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) have finally struck a deal on the 2025 budget – a topic that has been haunting the government for weeks, even months. 

In a press conference held alongside Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Scholz said: “We have not always made it easy for ourselves. We are fighting hard for the cause and we are looking for compromises.

“Sometimes half the night. Sometimes all night.”

He said that ministers pushed through on negotiations in order to “present a draft budget today punctually at the end of this week of meetings”.

By doing so, the coalition has avoided a major breakdown that may have toppled the government. 

So what does this initial agreement mean and what’s actually in it? Many of the details are still to be finalised, but here’s a look at key points so far with some more details below:

READ ALSO: German coalition strikes breakthrough budget deal after crisis

The debt brake stays

The infamous debt-brake (Schuldenbremse) – a self-imposed cap on annual borrowing – will be adhered to. A decision that shows Finance Minister Lindner got his way.

The government plans to take on €44 billion in new debt next year, in compliance with debt brake limits, which would bring Germany’s total budget volume to about €480 billion. The debt brake means there are likely tough decisions and cuts in the coming years. 

The debt brake was a key sticking point in the talks. Germany suspended the mechanism for several years during the Covid-19 pandemic and the inflation shock which followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The centre-left Social Democrats in particular – who are the largest party in the coalition – pushed for the debt brake to be suspended in order to push for more investment into society and fewer cuts, but Lindner was keen to see it reinstated.

Clashes over the debt brake intensified after the constitutional court threw Germany’s spending plans into disarray last November in a ruling over spending. 

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German Minister of Economics and Climate Protection Robert Habeck arrive to deliver a press conference on July 5, 2024 in Berlin, after the three parties in Germany's ruling coalition struck an agreement on the 2025 budget.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and German Minister of Economics and Climate Protection Robert Habeck arrive to deliver a press conference on July 5, 2024 in Berlin, after the three parties in Germany’s ruling coalition struck an agreement on the 2025 budget. Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER/AFP

Focus on children and families

A family package is a big part of the draft budget. 

Kindergeld – Germany’s child benefit – is to be increased by five euros next year, as is the emergency child allowance for families who need it, according to German media reports. 

The payments will be phased out with the introduction of basic child security or Kindergrundsicherung, and parents in Germany will then receive €255 per month per child. 

The Kinderfreibetrag – or tax-deductible sum for children – is also to rise by €228 to €9,540 in 2025 and will go up a further €60 the following year.

The government said the law would continue to ensure that child support keeps increasing in future. 

A further €2 billion will be invested from 2025 to 2026 to improve the quality of childcare facilities. 

Tax relief and pensions

People in Germany are to receive around €23 billion in tax relief in 2025 and 2026, in a bid to make sure inflation doesn’t eat up wage increases. 

As part of a so-called ‘growth initiative’ there are to be further tax improvements for companies and the self-employed as well as employees. A tax exemption on overtime hours is one idea being discussed. 

It’s also planned that skilled workers coming from abroad will receive tax relief to make Germany a more attractive option. 

READ ALSO: 8 unlikely tax breaks in Germany that international residents need to know

More support for private investments and support for small firms is also planned in a bid to encourage more people to do business in Germany. 

Meanwhile, the coalition pledged to agree on a “clear timetable” for the planned pension reform. 

Boost for the economy

Under the plans, the government is vowing to invest more in the economy in a bid to modernise the country. Investment spending is set to reach a new record level of €57 billion, with money to be set aside for various things including railways, roads, local transport and digital infrastructure.

The initiative agreed during the budget consultations is expected to increase economic growth by 0.5 percentage points in the coming year.

ICE trains

An ICE train at Berlin’s main train station. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hannes P. Albert

Labour market bonus 

People receiving long-term unemployment benefits (Bürgergeld) are to receive additional bonus when they enter the labour market.

The coalition has summarised this as a “bonus model” to combat unemployment.

In order to make Germany more attractive as a business location, foreign skilled workers are to receive a tax rebate for the first three years. 

Billions for the Bundeswehr and social housing 

In terms of security policy, the traffic light coalition wants to fulfil NATO’s two percent target of investment every year. According to Scholz, the defence budget should reach €80 billion in 2028. The police, technical relief organisation and civil protection are also to be strengthened.

In addition, over €20 billion is to be invested into social housing across Germany by 2028.

The planned funding for climate and transformation has been secured for 2024 and 2025.

“This budget contains record investments,” said Scholz.

“In times characterised by unrest due to Russia’s barbaric war on Ukraine, unrest due to the climate crisis and unrest due to irregular migration,” said Scholz.

Less bureaucracy 

Another key point of the draft budget is reducing paperwork. 

“Companies and citizens alike are suffering from ever more bureaucracy, with official procedures taking far too long,” the coalition partners wrote in the draft budget. They are pledging to introduce measures to ensure things move more quickly in Germany in future. 

What happens now?

The next step following this initial agreement is for the party leaders to inform their parliamentary groups. This will be followed by budget discussions in the respective departments – and this could lead to yet more heated debates and adjustments.

According to the current schedule, the government wants to approve the draft budget in the cabinet on July 17th. It will then be discussed in the Bundestag after the summer break and, if all goes to plan,  adopted at the end of November.

With reporting by AFP 

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