Chairman Paul Ziemiak Founded 1947 | Secretary General Alexander Humbert | |
Ideology Christian democracy
Conservatism
Economic liberalism Mother party Christian Democratic Union
Christian Social Union in Bavaria International affiliation International Young Democrat Union | ||
The Junge Union Deutschlands (Young Union of Germany) or JU is the joint youth organisation of the two conservative German political parties, CDU and CSU. Membership is limited to individuals between 14 and 35 years of age.
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Junge Union claims to be the largest political youth organization in Germany and Europe with about 120.000 members.
Philosophy
The JU views itself as an organization that aims to further the goals of its parent political parties, CDU/CSU, among the German youth, and to represent the interests of the younger generation within the CDU/CSU parties. In its platform, it defines itself as a liberal, conservative, yet progressive organization. The JU is committed to democracy and a social market economy. It supports European integration and a strong partnership with the United States within the framework of NATO. Within its parent parties, the Junge Union advocates political reform. One central objective is a remodeling of the public social security system which is confronted by an increasing dependency ratio. The JU supports intergenerational equity in the areas of pension and health care system reforms, proposing to complement these systems with capital-based private accounts in order to address fiscal problems such as Germany's debt-to-GDP ratio. The JU views labor-market liberalization as an effective means to battle unemployment. It favors university tuition fees, and has expressed support for the Center Against Expulsions in Berlin.
In foreign policy, the JU is committed to a German-American security alliance, and has called for Germany to participate in the War against Iraq. It opposes Turkey's full membership in the European Union, preferring for them to have a privileged partnership with the EU.
Well-Known Former Members of the Junge Union
Chairpersons
International relations
The JU is a member of the Youth of the European People's Party (YEPP), an umbrella organisation of Christian Democratic and conservative youth organisations of Europe. It collaborates closely with all European partner organisations but has traditionally had strong ties to the neighboring Junge Österreichische Volkspartei (JVP), the youth organisation of the Austrian People's Party.