Germany news: Merz rallies base at Stuttgart CDU conference

After reelecting Chancellor Friedrich Merz as their party leader on Friday, CDU delegates voted on a slew of political proposals Saturday.

These ranged from the desire to ban Muslim face coverings, do away with call-in sick days, introduce social media limits for young children and make it more difficult for foreigners to become naturalized citizens.

Elsewhere, a German skier was killed after getting caught up in an avalanche in the Austrian Alps. Police used a signal from the man's cellphone to locate him, but the 61-year-old was dead when help finally arrived.

And finally, theBerlinale Film Festival is wrapping up as it must, in unresolved controversy. For 10 days a fight has been simmering over the power of art to influence politics — with jury president Wim Wenders sparking the tiff with a decidedly apolitical answer to a question about the German government's Israel policy and allegations of anti-Palestinian bias at the event.

Berlinale management said accusations that the festival has been silent on the "genocide of Palestinians" as spelled out in an open letter by the Film Workers for Palestine collective are "inaccurate."  

Among the other issues CDU members voted on during their Stuttgart confab was one presented by the party's Women's Union aimed at banning facial coverings, specifically burqas, in public.

The ban would "outlaw the wearing of clothing that entirely or mostly covers an individual's face." Traditional Muslim clothing such as niqab and burqa were singled out by name.

The Women's Union said a general ban would, "strengthen the values of our liberal society and document our commitment to the rights and dignity of women." Further, the group said, "a open face is the basis for an open society and mutual respect."

CDU party delegates in Stuttgart rejected a proposal to tax sugary drinks as a way to nudge consumers into making healthier drink choices. 

The proposal was put forth by Schleswig-Holstein State Premier Daniel Günther, who pointed to the negative impact that sugary drinks have on the health of children. 

Noting that roughly one-quarter of all German children are overweight, Günther said, "We need a tax that can affect behavioral change if we are to confront this massive health issue."

Günther said he hoped such a tax would force companies to put less sugar in their drinks. 

CDU Deputy Secretary General Christina Stumpp on Saturday said, "A sugar tax isn't health policy, it's Green Party paternalism."    

State leaders pledged to press on with their plan despite opposition from national party membership.

Schleswig-Holstein, which is governed by a CDU/Green Party coalition, has also announced steps aimed at banning the sale of sugar-laden energy drinks to children under the age of 16, something delegates in Stuttgart also declined to get behind — despite pleas from doctors and health experts.

Farm-industry-friendly Federal Food Minister Alois Rainer of the CDU's Bavarian sister party has already declared opposition to a sugar tax.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) pledged opposition to any further loosening of the formerly sacrosanct federal debt limit, adopting a measure put forth by party chair, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The debt limit is set in Germany's constitution, the Basic Law. 

It was eased last year to make new defense investments possible, something the CDU's youth wing says contradicts the party's campaign promises, saying, "Further easing the debt brake, as the coalition agreement leaves open, would only further increase this contradiction." 

The current CDU/CSU/SPD coalition has promised to "modernize the debt brake," appointing a commission to come up with rules changes.

But party members gathered in Stuttgart said the government must show that money from the initial easing had actually been invested — and not simply used for defense equipment purchases — before any new debt could be taken on by the states or the federal government. 

The CDU wants to end the option of getting a sick note by phone.

Delegates at the party's convention in Stuttgart backed the proposal from the party's business wing.

They argue that the easier it is to obtain a sick note, the more likely people are to make what they call a "bed-edge decision," choosing to call in sick without much hesitation. Replacing doctor visits with quick phone calls, they say, lowers the threshold even further.

CDU leader and Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously criticized what he considers a high level of sick leave in Germany.

Health Minister Nina Warken, also from the CDU, now says the regulation will be reviewed.

Under current rules, patients who are already known to a practice and show only mild symptoms can receive a sick note by phone for up to five days. For any extension, they must see a doctor in person.

In its party conference on Saturday, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) voted to introduce a minimum age for using social media platforms, as severalEuropean countries consider measures to restrict their use among children.

A party spokesperson was quoted by the German DPA news agency as saying that the party voted to "introduce a legal age limit of 14 for the use of social networks."

Australia last year enforced a law that blocks minors from having social media accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Reddit nationwide for children under the age of 16 took effect on Wednesday.

Norway, Greece, the UK, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands are among a host of European countries discussing a similar form of ban, while the EU has increasingly moved toward supporting the principle.

The conservative CDU party voted in its federal party conference on Saturday in favor of restoring a longer duration of time for migrants to be eligible to apply for naturalization.

Until June 2024, migrants had to live in Germany for at least eight years before they could apply for citizenship, barring a few exceptions. But that duration has since been amended to now stand at five years.

However, the CDU resolution argued that five years are not enough and that during this time "many immigrants are not yet sufficiently integrated into German society." They voted in favor of going back to eight years.

The 2024 law also allowed a fast-track of three years for those who can prove "special integration" into German society. This was scrapped after the now-ruling coalition government came to power in May 2025.

The passed resolution also calls for vetting those applying for citizenship more strictly to make sure they "agree with the principles of the constitution and the core values of our society," including gender equality, freedom of religion and sexual identity, the rejection of all forms of anti-semitism and racism and the commitment to Germany's historic responsibility for the crimes of the Nazi regime.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union party conference voted on Saturday in favor of a nationwide ban on full face coverings in public spaces, explicitly mentioning clothing such as the burqa or niqab, which some Muslim women wear.

The resolution was adopted by the majority of delegates meeting in Stuttgart. The ban would apply to any "clothing or coverings that completely or largely cover the face."

The motion was put forth by the Women's Union, who argued such a ban would "strengthen the values of our free society and demonstrate our commitment to women's rights and dignity."

"An open face is the basis of an open society and mutual respect," their statement read.

Those in favor of the motion also referenced other European countries where such a ban is in place including France, which became the first European country to take the controversial decision in 2010, Belgium and Austria, which also banned headscarves for girls under 14 in schools.

The bans were approved by the European Court of Human Rights, though other human rights organizations are often critical of such bans, warning they could trigger anti-Muslim sentiments.

A 61-year-old German man died on Friday in Austria during a ski trip with his son in the Silvretta Montafon ski area.

The man and his son were skiing together when they separated and planned to meet at a designated point, police said on Saturday.

The father never arrived and could not be reached by phone, prompting a search for him by his 15-year-old son, which later involved the lift company and the police.

They then tracked his phone to reveal he was still in the ski area, ultimately locating him lifeless under a tree in the snow.

The exact cause of death is unclear. Police say he had fallen.

A spokesperson said off-piste skiing is permitted in the area where the incident occurred.

Austria was hit by heavy snowfall Thursday into Friday, which grounded many flights at Vienna's airport, caused many road accidents and closures and raised the avalanche risk to a level four out of five.

The 76th Berlin Film Festival comes to a close on Saturday after an edition that saw much controversy surrounding the role of politics in filmmaking.

During the opening ceremony of the Berlinale, 10 days ago, jury president Wim Wenders unleashed a storm of controversy when he responded to a question about the German government's support for Israel and by extension the festival's alleged bias by saying: "We cannot really enter the field of politics."

Several artists pulled out of the festival following his statements, most notably award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy. Due to present a restored version of a 1989 film she wrote, Roy announced she was dropping out, denouncing Wender's words as "unconscionable" and "jaw-dropping."

On Tuesday, dozens of film industry figures condemned in a letter the festival's "silence on the genocide of Palestinians."

The letter was drafted by the Film Workers for Palestine collective, with signatories including Javier Bardem, Tilda Switon and Adam McKay.

Director Tricia Tuttle, responsible for the festival's creative direction and management, firmly rejected the accusations, describing some of them as "misinformation" and "inaccurate."

The conservative Christian Democratic Union resumes on Saturday its federal party conference, after a first successful day which saw the reelection of Chancellor Friedrich Merz as party leader.

The conference is taking place in the southwestern city of Stuttgart, where state elections are scheduled on March 8.

The conference is due to discuss on Saturday several motions, following numerous political proposals discussed in preparation. 

Markus Söder, the leader of CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is among those due to attend on Saturday.

Good morning from Bonn, where we will be bringing you the latest on Germany on this cloudy weekend.

On Saturday, the conservative CDU party is set to resume its federal party conference in Stuttgart, after Chancellor Friedrich Merz was reelected as party leader on Friday.

Meanwhile, several German cities are due to see pro-EU demonstrations.

And in the evening, the 76th Berlinale festival will wrap after comments by its jury president unleashed a storm of criticism.

Stay tuned as we keep you posted on all things Germany!