Germany's centre-right CDU/CSU bloc presented their campaign manifesto for the 2025 election on Tuesday. What do the Christian Democrats have to offer, and how do they set themselves apart from the outgoing "traffic light" coalition? German MP and former health minister Jens Spahn speaks to DW's Michaela Küfner.
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00:00Jens Spahn is with me. He's the deputy leader of the CDU-CSU, the Conservatives in German Parliament.
00:06You're also a former minister of the Merkel administration.
00:09Your CDU-CSU has just published their election agenda.
00:13How will Germany feel different to the world stage, to its partners, but also to people who aim to come to Germany?
00:20What we do offer Germany is a political turnaround.
00:24That we bring back the German economy to growth, competitiveness.
00:27We are the second year in a row in a recession, so we really need to change that.
00:31We want to end illegal migration to Germany with refoulement at our borders in Germany,
00:37and then to have a European solution by that.
00:41We want to get back to affordable and secure energy supply here in Germany, since we do have big problems there as well.
00:48So the offer is a real political turnaround with Friedrich Merz as a new chancellor.
00:52So a completely different direction.
00:54At the same time, you've made headlines here in Germany by instantly putting a proposal on the table
00:59to pay Syrian migrants who are willing to return €1,000.
01:04What's your intention, and what do you make of the debate here,
01:07where many experts say Germany can't afford to lose many of these people?
01:10First of all, we are very happy with many people in Syria, with the Syrian people,
01:16that this dictator, this man-slaughtering dictator Assad is gone, has been overthrown,
01:23and that there is perspective for Syria now again.
01:26You have to see Austria and Germany have taken 75% of all refugees from Syria
01:32that have come to Europe here to give protection.
01:36But of course, if there is change in Syria, there are some questions coming into mind.
01:40First of all, we want to help support those who want to go back to Syria,
01:44to building up the country again, that they get support by the government.
01:48Second, we need to stop all the programs that take Syrian refugees to Germany,
01:57since we have to wait what's going on there, how it develops.
02:00And of course, then we need to make a difference in the next weeks,
02:04when we know more about the situation in Syria.
02:06Those who are actually integrated, who pay for themselves and their families,
02:11who speak the language, who are part of our German society,
02:15they should get an offer to stay.
02:17But at the same time, those who do not need our protection anymore, they need to leave.
02:23You're also on the record for predicting that within the next 5 or 15 years,
02:29EU borders will be closed.
02:33Why? And is that actually the policy of your conservative CDU-CSU?
02:37You know, in general, we need to put an end to the message that is there in the world.
02:41Once you made it to the European Union, you can stay, almost for sure,
02:45and you get social benefits, almost for sure, from day on.
02:50And so actually, if we don't end that message,
02:54then we can't get to control over irregular migration.
02:58We will stop at our borders, with European border control implemented,
03:02with a third state solution, that we give protection in a secure third state.
03:07And at the same time, that we do have contingents for humanitarian aid,
03:12that we say, if there is a crisis somewhere in the world,
03:15we have a certain number of people that we will and do support and get over to Europe,
03:20but in a selected way, together with UNHCR,
03:24and not in a way where almost only young men come without any control over our European borders.
03:30That would have to be European policy?
03:33Do you expect that you would have a majority for that, respectively?
03:36Yes, because in Poland, in France, in Denmark, in Austria, in almost Italy,
03:41almost every European country, that is one of the biggest topics for the people,
03:46one of the biggest problems to solve.
03:49And there are initiatives right now, these days, taking place.
03:52Denmark, Austria, France are waiting for Germany actually to join them in their approach
03:59to change European law, European policies on this.
04:03Right now, Germany is just silent.
04:05So, that is one of the many reasons we do need a new government,
04:09a new chancellor to bring back leadership on this issue as well.
04:13Jens Spahn, deputy leader of the CDU-CSU parliamentary group, thank you very much.
04:17Pleasure.