Bundeswehr billions: Mützenich loses patience with Merz – Lindner stabs him directly in the back
Created: 05/23/2022, 11:04 am
By: Bettina Menzel
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich puts pressure on the dispute over the Bundeswehr's special assets (archive photo, May 17).
© IMAGO/Emmanuele Contini/ NurPhoto
In the dispute over the special assets of the Bundeswehr, SPD parliamentary group leader Mützenich threatens to go it alone at the traffic light.
Finance Minister Lindner and the CDU react promptly.
Berlin - The German Bundeswehr is apparently not sufficiently equipped for emergencies.
This is causing concern in the escalated Ukraine conflict.
A “special fund” is intended to remedy the situation – it is about 100 billion euros.
The Union - above all parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) - is still opposed to the proposed amendment to the Basic Law.
She demands guarantees for the use of the funds.
They should flow exclusively to the Bundeswehr.
And that
in addition
to two percent of the gross domestic product as the Bundeswehr budget every year.
At least that's what it was called until now.
The SPD is now going too far: parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich threatened on Monday (May 23) that the traffic light coalition would go it alone.
But Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) of all people finds this "constitutionally questionable" - and the Union also reacts promptly.
Bundeswehr and Ukraine: Mützenich warns Merz against "tactical games" in emergency situations
If the CDU and CSU do not go along with the necessary two-thirds majority for an amendment to the Basic Law, there are "other ways than the military constitution" to provide the 100 billion euros, said SPD politician Mützenich in the Monday edition of the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
.
"If Germany is in an emergency situation, Article 115 allows borrowing with a simple majority," said Mützenich.
Article 115 sets a credit limit for the federal budget, the so-called debt brake.
At the same time, he again warned Merz against "tactical games" when voting.
The Union had previously set conditions for approval.
In April, Friedrich Merz called for it to be done exactly as Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said in his government statement on February 27.
In the historic statement, Scholz spoke of a "turning point" and announced the special fund for the Bundeswehr and defense spending amounting to two percent of GDP.
"100 billion special assets for the Bundeswehr, that's possible.
But please then permanently more than two percent of our country's gross domestic product for defense," Merz demanded.
Bundeswehr special fund: Union does not take Mützenich's threat seriously, but gives in
The debt brake was already suspended once during the Corona crisis.
From the point of view of the Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner (FDP), declaring an emergency for the Bundeswehr and thus approving an exception again would “take the rule ad absurdum”.
It is also not an option to bypass the debt brake with a simple majority, Lindner told the German Press Agency on Monday about Mützenich's proposal.
He specifically proposed a special fund in the Basic Law so that the character of the debt brake itself remains intact.
"A softening would be constitutionally questionable and politically impossible to do with the FDP," the FDP party leader continued.
At the same time, Lindner returned responsibility to the CDU: "The condition of the Bundeswehr after 16 years of Union-led government speaks volumes," said the finance minister.
Bundeswehr concession of the Union: parliamentary group leader does not see two percent goal "slavishly"
On Monday morning, the Union gave in a little: They are ready to flexibly handle the goal of two percent defense spending without giving it up, said parliamentary group leader Mathias Middelberg (CDU) in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”.
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"We don't have a slavish idea, it has to be two percent every year." be achieved in the long term. ”Middelberg said that he didn't take the threat set up by Mützenich seriously.
“Firstly, because it is extremely difficult legally.
And I also believe that it would not be the wise signal politically.
The Chancellor has given out two clever goals, and we should now implement them together, ”said the Union parliamentary group leader.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) was confident on Monday morning about a quick agreement on the Bundeswehr special fund.
"I currently have the feeling that everyone (...) really wants to pull together," she said in the "Morgenmagazin".
She is "very optimistic" that there will be an agreement before the summer break.
(
AFP/dpa/bm
)
