"Bound by responsibility" is the motto of the upcoming Christian Democratic Union (CDU) federal party conference in Stuttgart, set to take place February 20 and 21. It is the first large meeting of the conservative party since its leader Friedrich Merzbecame German chancellor in May 2025 and the Union parties of the CDU and their Bavarian counterparts the Christian Social Union (CSU) once again led Germany's federal government. The motto reflects current challenges: the focus will be on duties and necessities rather than wishes or new political breakthroughs.

The pressure for action is growing. CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann spoke earlier this year about the hope for a "year of change" and shortly before the conference hoped that the federal government would announce a reform package before spring arrives across Germany. The meeting in Stuttgart must signal that the party is ready for reforms.

Meeting in campaign mode

In Germany's political system, federal party conferences are key events for any party, serving as an opportunity for self-reassurance, attack or consolation. Even the choice of venue holds meaning: a show of campaigning and confidence. Elections are being held in host state Baden-Württemberg two weeks after the party conference.

Before the end of September, four more of Germany's 16 states are set to hold elections. In two of the five states – Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt – the CDU holds the office of state premier. Can Merz's party profit from the "chancellor bonus" and gain support in the rest of the states?

At the federal level, the Union parties of the CDU and CSU are polling below expectations. They received 28.5% of the vote in the federal election of February 2025 – in the latest poll by Infratest dimap they had only 26%, a low seldom seen by the party. At the end of 2025, the CDU declared it had 356,769 members, about 8,000 fewer than 12 months before and about 27,500 fewer than at the end of 2021.

In the shadow of major foreign policy crises, the federal coalition of the Union and the SPD have been wrangling for months over reforms in social policy, including pensions, employment, and health. The coalition has set up reform commissions for several of those big issues. CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann is pushing for a master plan. He wants to promote Germany as a location for doing business, he explained to journalists.

However, there has been forceful debate between the coalition partners, but also within the CDU itself. For weeks, leading party figures have been causing a stir with statements that sound more like they come from an opposition party than the government. They reflect a trend: Under Merz the party's top leaders are becoming more economically liberal and seem almost angry about the course of the CDU in earlier times.

CDU business wing drops 'lifestyle'

The most spectacular example of this was the CDU economic wing, the influential Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT), which represents the interests of entrepreneurs, with a draft proposal titled "No legal right to lifestyle part-time". The term "lifestyle" alluded to what Merz and others claimed was a widespread lazy preference for working only part-time when one could work more. Following sharp criticism and debates within the party, the term "lifestyle" was deleted.

Similarly controversial were suggestions by the Economic Council, which has close ties with the CDU, that German residents should mostly pay their own dental costs rather than having them covered by public health insurance. It is clear: Parts of the party want a longer working week. They also want people to retire later and provide more for themselves in their old age. This syncs with warnings from the business sector that the country is lacking growth.

But how do such statements from Berlin resonate throughout the country? One of the 1,001 delegates gathering in Stuttgart is Marc Speicher. The 41-year-old is mayor of Saarlouis in western Germany, about 700 kilometers (435 miles), or an 8-hour train ride from Berlin. He is one of the two mayors dealing with daily local politics while at the same time sitting on the CDU's federal board.

Speicher has a lot to praise about the work of the Union-led federal government. Thanks to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Germany once again has "prestige in the world" and in Europe, in his view. The government is also moving the country forward with domestic and trade policy – for example with Mercosurand new agreements with India. There is "a lot of catching up to do after three years of red lights," he said, referring to the previous coalition government.

'Bring the people along'

Saarlouis, where Speicher was born, is facing massive economic upheaval. Until recently, Ford built cars there on a large scale. Now the region is pinning hopes on already-agreed new large-scale industrial developments. 

Speicher is one of the few representatives of the once-influential social welfare committee of the party on the CDU federal board. The history of the party shows, he said, "that we have always been successful when we have shown the full spectrum of the CDU as a broad-based political movement." From his everyday experience he added: "The people want a CDU which confidently states what it stands for."

Speicher also addressed the numerous suggestions from the party's economic wing. In his view, it was "clever to take responsibility for our party colleagues in election campaigns in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate seriously and not jump at every little thing." The government has, after all, formed commissions as part of its reform agenda. Speicher concluded: "One must always weigh the necessary reforms against their necessary acceptance among the wider population."

There will be plenty of debate in Stuttgart. In a surprise headline 10 days before the conference, the office of former Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the 71-year-old, who served as CDU leader from 2000-2018, would take part on its first day as a guest of honor. It will be the first time she has attended in-person since 2019.

The return of Merkel

The intense reception to Merkel's announcement and the degree of speculation which followed reveals a lot about the state of the CDU. Does she want to chastise Merz? What signal does she want to send? People wonder whether Merz will criticize shortcomings under the previous party leader in his conference speech, as he has done in recent months. Whatever Merz says, or the result in the vote for his reelection, Merkel will certainly be in the know — and not just from media reports.

This article was originally written in German.