In an op-ed published in the Welt am Sonntag, Chancellor Angela Merkel's successor as head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) contrasted a "European way of life" with social and political models in China, the US and Russia. "Europe must become stronger," she wrote.
While Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer echoed some of the plans set out by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, there were some issues on which she took a different stance.
Kramp-Karrenbauer was specific in terms of what she did not want: "European centralism, European statism, the communitization of debts, a Europeanization of social systems and the minimum wage would be the wrong way."
As she responded in detail to the letter published by Macron, Kramp-Karrenbauer, or AKK as she is popularly known, focused on a number of proposals:
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the EU should better protect its external borders
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a Europewide pact and a commission for climate protection with consultation to ensure popular support
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a permanent seat for the EU on the UN Security Council
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a European Security Council involving the United Kingdom for foreign and security policies
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an EU investment budget for joint research, development and technology
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the European Parliament should focus its work in Brussels, rather than alternating with Strasbourg
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Europe should try to shape a version of Islam that is compatible with its values — imams and teachers trained in the "tradition of enlightenment and tolerance"
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EU officials should no longer be exempt from national income tax.