Germany's CSU backs coalition deal as economic gloom ups pressure for new government

FILE PHOTO: Christian Social Union (CSU) leader and Bavarian Premier Markus Soeder speaks during a press conference with Germany's chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) Friedrich Merz and co-leaders of the Social Democratic party (SPD) Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil, after reaching an agreement on their coalition government in Berlin, Germany, April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - Germany's conservative CSU approved a coalition deal with its CDU sister party and the Social Democrats (SPD) on Thursday, a day after they presented a programme to revive growth in Europe's biggest economy and take a tougher line on migration.

The move by the Bavarian party is the first of several steps needed for chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz of the CDU to form a new government by early May. Delegates or members of the other two parties are due to vote on the deal later in April.