Ladies and gentlemen,

it is an extraordinary joy and honor to stand here and to be allowed to speak to you.

My dear wife and I have been happily married for 33 years. 24 years ago we came from America to Germany, and ever since I have expressed again and again how much I value Germany. In recent weeks and months I have repeatedly taken the opportunity to point out that we must learn once more to be proud of our country, Germany.

In the brevity the occasion requires, I would like to explain why I am proud of Germany.

The Stolpersteine (“stumbling stones”) are a testimony that mistakes were made in the past that allowed evil to seize power. There were people who did not take a clear position, and there were courageous people who stood up against evil and paid for it with their lives.

But my Germany dared a new beginning precisely on the ruins of the past. I wish my Germany a future full of hope, shaped by new beginnings and a readiness to help. Even in difficult times, marked by numerous disasters, the new Germany is ready to open itself to the world and to support it in coping with its challenges.

My Germany today stands at the side of Israel and strives to combat radicalism, terrorism and the inhumanity of terror groups such as Hamas. I am very grateful and proud that my Germany works so wonderfully for peace and that it is a place of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Freedom of religion, written down in our constitution, is a precious good that must be protected. However, I take the development of Islamism in our country very seriously. In the Bundestag I will work to ensure that our streets do not become a place where radical Islamist and antisemitic ideologies gain a foothold. I will do everything in my power to make sure that these terrorists do not rob us of our freedom and peace.

I want to work to ensure that all Islamist associations and organizations are reviewed again. We must ask ourselves once more whether they harm our democracy, are unconstitutional, and whether through their ties abroad they promote hatred, antisemitism and violence in our country. If this is confirmed, we must take measures to restrict or even stop them.

We can count ourselves lucky to live in a democracy, a privilege that not all nations in the world yet enjoy. On the whole our society is quite stable and works well. Nevertheless, there are always points where improvements are necessary.

It saddens me that at the moment we attract mainly Islamists and terrorists, while at the same time we are looking for skilled workers. To win the right skilled workers for our country, I want to make sure in the Bundestag that the current asylum policy is reconsidered. I would like to help us promote national and international tourism instead of allowing further waves of refugees. I am firmly convinced that tourism offers a wonderful opportunity to preserve jobs and create new ones. Tourism also offers the wonderful opportunity to present the beauty of our country with pride and thereby generate income.

It is regrettable when people, after so many years of work and employment, have difficulty paying for and affording the smallest things in life. It is a great concern of mine that working people are rewarded appropriately for their work, their perseverance and their economic achievements. I also think that self-employment should be valued and supported in our country. It is a great concern of mine that everyone gets the chance to pursue meaningful work and to support themselves through their own effort and labor. This should give them the opportunity to free themselves from dependence on state benefits and to contribute to the common good through their own work.

The shortage of skilled workers presents our country and our economy with major challenges, which we will however master together. I think we should be clear that waves of refugees in this area are not an ideal solution and only bring new challenges. There remains the danger that many of the new skilled workers we invite to Germany are persuaded and drawn into radical and terrorist attitudes by certain associations and organizations only after they arrive in Germany. We must absolutely prevent that.

We must first look after the young people in our country. I want to commit myself wholeheartedly to ensuring that all young people in our country, with or without a migration background, get the chance of a place at university or in vocational training as well as a secure future, reliable guidance and affordable housing. I think we should take the situation very seriously and invest in building new dormitories instead of building even more refugee shelters.

It is regrettable that our young people decide to live outside Germany, or that our companies and corporations prefer to settle abroad because they see no future for themselves here. And our tax system and our bureaucracy are to blame for that. I think that after so many years of waiting and talking we should finally do what is important and urgently necessary for our economy. That also includes finally cutting red tape. I firmly believe that we can do it together, if only we are brave enough to take new paths and not fear challenges.

I am very pleased that as managing director of Café Jerusalem, as a council member, as a member of the CDU district executive board in Neumünster and as a member of this society, I have the opportunity to work every day to ensure that our constitution is heard and that our values of freedom continue to apply. In Berlin I will do everything I can so that, despite some differences, we move our society forward united and together. I will commit myself wholeheartedly to ensuring that our constitution and our democracy remain protected.

We have a well-functioning social system, which however is repeatedly damaged by certain policies. Nevertheless it manages to recover from such damage and to keep functioning.

I am very grateful that in this country I may belong to a party that commits itself wholeheartedly to valuable principles and always strives to protect the constitution and democracy. I want to give something back to this wonderful country that welcomed me so kindly and gave me a home. It is a great concern of mine to continue to work to keep unity within my party, the CDU. Should there be differing opinions on our country’s future, I would like to seek sensible and workable solutions with the help of experts in politics, business and society.

I am firmly convinced that we as the CDU, together with others who also think democratically and want to stand at our side, can master the challenges our country faces.

We are all connected to this country and we all want it to have a good future. When I say that I am proud of my Germany, that pride also applies to you, dear party friends, who are not guided by hatred, envy and indifference, but by the spirit of love, solidarity and humanity.

Today we are making a decision that will have effects on the coming years and decades. Today we have the responsible task of making a decision that can help all people in our country, despite the challenges and conflicts in the world, to feel safe and secure here.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart that I may defend and build up this country as my home and my country. //