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Friedrich Merz on traffic light plans: "We will not issue a 100 billion blank check"

2022-03-23T09:05:49.973Z


Opposition leader Friedrich Merz has set conditions for the Union to agree to a planned amendment to the Basic Law for the 100 billion special fund. Among other things, he called for a repayment plan.


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CDU leader Friedrich Merz

Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP

Union faction leader Friedrich Merz has set the federal government conditions so that the CDU and CSU in the Bundestag agree to the special fund for the Bundeswehr and an anchoring in the Basic Law.

In the general debate on the federal budget, Merz demanded on Wednesday

  • a repayment plan for the planned loans of 100 billion euros

  • and procurement reform.

In addition, the traffic light government must guarantee that the two percent of economic output promised to NATO for the military will be met - and permanently.

In addition, the expenditure would only have to be for the Bundeswehr and “for nothing else”.

The federal government should also say what exactly the 100 billion euros will be spent on.

"We will not issue a 100 billion blank check," says the CDU leader.

Merz puts traffic lights under pressure

Merz announced that it would only allow as many Union MPs to participate in the vote as are necessary for the required two-thirds majority.

Accordingly, all members of the coalition would have to vote for it.

The step would put the coalition under pressure, internal dissenters could cause the project to fail.

Merz accused the governing coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP of not setting the right course in view of the new challenges posed by the Ukraine war.

Shortly after the start of the war, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) spoke of a "turning point" - but in the coalition's budget planning "there wasn't really much to notice about a turning point," said Merz.

The budget planning is based on basic assumptions "that we already know today are simply not correct," said Merz.

Economic growth and tax revenues are set too high, while inflation and government spending are too low.

bka/Reuters/dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-03-23

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