Right of initiative in the European Parliament, creation of a European Monetary Fund, a European army, a European seat on the UN Security Council, establishment of a European minimum wage, drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030... some transpartisan convergences are emerging in the programmes of the main lists in the European elections in Germany. There are also major differences, particularly with the AfD, the far-right and climate-sceptic party, which rejects the European project outright and explicitly envisages a "Dexit". Below is a small non-exhaustive overview of the German proposals.
Reforming the European project seems to be the concern of all German parties. Whether it is the CDU/CSU (Conservative), the SPD (Social Democrats), the Greens or the FDP (Liberals), all want to give the European Parliament the right of initiative. The SPD seems to be inspired here by the German system and wants to introduce a double voting right in the European elections: one vote for the transnational lists run by the Spitzenkandidaten and a second vote to elect the MEPs of the voter's Member State.
Apart from the CDU/CSU and the SPD, all the parties, the Greens, the FDP, Die Linke (radical left), or the AfD (far right Eurosceptic) seem to want to review the European Treaties. Certainly not for the same reasons. The FDP, for example, wants to reduce the "size" of the European Commission to 18 Commissioners and convene a European Convention "no later than" 2022 to fundamentally rethink EU structures to focus on local forces. Die Linke wants to put an end to European neoliberal treaties. The Greens also want to convene a constituent assembly, the result of which will be submitted to a European referendum and to the Member States, who will vote "preferably" by a qualified majority. As for the AfD, it certainly does not speak of a new constitution, but prefers to transfer most, if not all, of the competences to the national level, even if it means going as far as a referendum on "Dexit" in case of failure.
A European Monetary Fund
On the Economic and Monetary Union front, proposals are also put forward, apart from the CDU/CSU, which seems rather in favour of the status quo and rejects the idea of a European finance minister. For the Economic Stability Mechanism (ESM), the coalition does not want debt to be communitarian, relying above all on sound public finances. As such, the CDU/CSU wants to strengthen sanction mechanisms for States that do not comply with the rules. On the other hand, several parties, including the SPD and the Greens, want the ESM to be transformed into a real European Monetary Fund. Die Linke, for its part, is opposed to the deepening of the Economic and Monetary Union as long as it is not encompassed by a genuine Social Union.
An Erasmus+ of the military
Defence and migration are also a main part of the programmes. As much as the responses to migration policy follow the left/right ideological divide, the question of defence seem to be the subject of a relative consensus. On defence and security, one point seems to be almost unanimous among the parties: the creation of a European seat in the United Nations Security Council. In addition, the CDU/CSU, FDP, Greens and SPD support the establishment of a European Intervention force. The FDP proposes to create an Erasmus+ of the military for this purpose. The SPD, for its part, calls for the creation of a European army under European Parliament control for peacekeeping operations outside the EU, but also to keep the peace "inside”. The Greens support the creation of a "Security Union", but reject the creation of a European nuclear power. On the contrary, Die Linke and AfD oppose this "Security Union", the former claiming that the EU should be a "Disarmament and Demilitarisation Union" and the latter stating that the army is a sphere of sovereign states.
Creation of a humanitarian visa
On the migration issue, there is no shortage of proposals either. For once, the AfD is considering EU intervention in this area, particularly in terms of providing support to Member States in expelling migrants and negotiating repatriation agreements. Admittedly, the European dimension stops there: the Alternative for Germany party wants to reintroduce borders in the internal market. The CDU/CSU proposes the creation of 10,000 border guard posts by 2022 and the standardisation of the asylum procedure at European level, a standardisation that the SPD, Die Linke and the Greens also want. The latter two parties want the end of the Dublin Regulation. Not surprisingly, it is on the left that the proposals for better support and protection for migrants are to be found. The SPD wants to set up a "solidarity distribution key" between Member States and create a European humanitarian visa. The Greens want "generous" reception quotas, Die Linke legal migration corridors. The latter party wants an end to Frontex.
Quantified (or not) climate ambitions
At a time when worrying international reports on the state of the climate and biodiversity are accumulating, ecology is present in all the programmes. With the notable exception of AfD, which fully assumes a climate-sceptic position. In particular, the party denounces emission reduction strategies and the banning of diesel fuel, which it claims would harm German industry. On the contrary, the other German parties aim to reduce emissions, however, with different ambitions. The CDU/CSU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but does not seem to set a quantified target by adhering to the objectives of the UN Agenda 2030. The FDP is on the same line. The SPD proposes a reduction in greenhouse gases at European level of at least 45% by 2030 compared to 1990, the Greens 55% and Die Linke 65%. All seem to want to revise the prices within the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) by extending the EU ETS to new sectors. However, the FDP insists on "realistic" objectives that take into account the international situation. The German liberal party develops a pragmatic approach and proposes that EU Member States that have not achieved their emission reduction targets compensate by financing CO2 savings in third country economies. A solution that would be much more effective, according to the liberals, in reducing CO2 emissions worldwide.
A European minimum wage
Not surprisingly, ideological divisions are also emerging on the social issue. At the centre and to the right, everything related in any way to the minimum wage or pension benefits must remain the exclusivity of the Member States. AfD takes the logic to the extreme and suggests ending the free movement of people because of massive - also within Europe - immigration to Germany, which would be motivated by "the sole purpose of receiving social assistance”. On the contrary, whether it is the SPD, the Greens or Die Linke, all want a minimum wage at a European level, which would correspond to 60% of the national average wage (or 12 euros per hour in Germany). Greens believe that fundamental social rights, such as those set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights, must become binding.
According to the latest national survey of 17 May, the CDU/CSU is credited with 30% voting intentions, followed by the Greens with 19%, then the SPD with 17%, the AfD with 12%, Die Linke 7% and finally the FDP with 5%. The top lists are respectively, for the CDU/CSU, Manfred Weber (who is also Spitzenkandidate for the Presidency of the European Commission), for the Greens, Ska Keller and Sven Giegold (two outgoing MEPs), for the SPD, Katarina Barley, for the AfD, Jörg Meuthen, for Die Linke, Özlem Demirel and Martin Schirdewan (outgoing MEP) and for the FDP, Nicola Beer.
This is a very partial overview of the programmes in these German lists, with some programmes being particularly dense, such as the Green party programme, which has nearly 200 pages. It should be noted that there are 41 party lists standing in these European elections in Germany and that there is no threshold for sending a Member to the European Parliament.
Here are the lists of programmes in German: CDU/CSU, https://bit.ly/2UXNhiP; Greens, https://bit.ly/2WQ9f7K; SPD, https://bit.ly/2Ufst9c; AfD, https://bit.ly/2U6TmNm; Die Linke, https://bit.ly/2K38RBo; FDP, https://bit.ly/2GVmOPB. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)