CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann is confident that an agreement on welfare benefits and conscription will be reached before Thursday's coalition committee. In an ARD broadcast, he emphasized core agreement with the SPD. He also called for the return of Syrian refugees following the end of the civil war.
On Sunday, CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann expressed optimism in the ARD program 'Bericht aus Berlin' about upcoming agreements in the black-red coalition. Regarding citizen's allowance, he said: 'There will be an agreement beforehand, I'm pretty sure of that.' Talks with the SPD had been successful, and there was core agreement that the citizen's allowance must be abolished and replaced by a new basic security system.
Linnemann emphasized: 'We want to support people who urgently need it. And on the other hand, the welfare state must not be exploited or even abused.' The planned reform includes stricter obligations for recipients, including harsher sanctions for violations. After the third missed appointment at the citizen's office, all benefits should be immediately withdrawn. He saw an SPD member survey on retaining the current system not as a threat, as the coalition agreement governs this.
On conscription, Linnemann also mentioned an imminent agreement without details. In the context of Syrian refugees, he stated that given the end of the civil war in Syria, there are 'no reasons at all for asylum in Germany anymore.' He asked: 'Who is supposed to rebuild the country if not those living in Syria?' Talks with the Syrian interim president are planned in the coming weeks to create a legal basis for returns—not just for criminals and threats.
The debate was fueled by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's (CDU) visit to Syria. Wadephul had clarified after inspecting a destroyed Damascus suburb that people there could hardly live with dignity, and returns of serious criminals were being coordinated with the Syrian government. His statements caused discontent in the CDU and were interpreted as a signal against further returns.