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BERLIN, Dec. 29-- Policy demands made by the Christian Social Union (CSU) have put the party on a collision course with the German Social Democrats (SPD) ahead of looming coalition negotiations. CSU delegates in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) called for a stricter stance on humanitarian migration, higher defense spending and rejected federal vision of a "United States of Europe" during their winter conference at the Bavarian Seeon monastery. Formal negotiations between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), CSU and SPD over the formation of a German government are scheduled to commence on January 7. German media have repeatedly questioned whether an agreement could still be reached on the re-launch of a so-called "grand coalition" in light of their seemingly contradictory policy stances. The CSU has now further complicated the quest for legislative compromises with a series of new proposals, including lifting the German defense spending to the annual NATO goal of 2 percent of GDP. Germany's yearly military budget currently amounts to around 1.2 percent of GDP, although acting Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) has repeatedly advocated for higher spending to ensure NATO compliance. However, SPD leader Martin Schulz and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) are staunchly opposed to what they perceive to be an arbitrary spending target. In parallel, the CSU suggested expanding the budget for developmental aid by "at least" the same rate. Nevertheless, senior SPD figures were quick to snub calls for higher defense expenditure on Friday. | 
