By Anton Lutter
After two years of interruption by Covid the CDA Foreign Affairs Network in South Holland, led by former deputy mayor Dick van Vliet, was able to hold annual twinning with the German political party CDU in Bonn again after the successful 40th anniversary in The Hague in 2019. This time again in Bonn from September 30 to October 2.
The theme: “Ukraine und neue Weltordnung”.
That the CDU is very committed to European Christian Democratic cooperation from the bottom up was evident from the heavy line-up with leading speakers such as former health minister Jens Spahn, currently CDU/CSU deputy parliamentary group chairman in the Bundestag, and Roderich Kiesewetter, member of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, member of the European Parliament Axel Voss, among others, and finally former German ambassador to the Netherlands Dirk Brengelmann.
Also present were the mayor of Bad Godesberg Christoph Jansen and many members of the CDU Kreis Bonn.
For the CDA, Wim van de Camp, chairman of the CDA national committee on foreign affairs and former member of the European Parliament, made a highly appreciated contribution.
For the first time, 2 CDA youth members were also represented in the CDA delegation to Bonn. While on the German side there were many members of the Junge Union and Schüler Union, with whom good contacts were made. The 3-day twinning concluded with a visit to the magnificent 18th century Kreuzberg church, where Holy Mass was celebrated by the well-known German theologian emeritus Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Menke, whose homily made a great impression on all.
See also the attached link with a report and photos in the Union Kurier: https://www.cdu-bonn.de/artikel/jumelage-2022?page=0%2C0
