As of: March 9, 2024, 10:57 p.m
By: Jens Kiffmeier
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Still looking for billions in the budget: Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP).
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Bad news from Pistorius: There is a big hole in the Bundeswehr budget.
Without additional billions, NATO's goal will be missed.
But the finance minister remains stubborn.
Berlin – Is Germany investing too little in its defense?
The federal government has been subjected to a barrage of criticism for many years.
Former US President Donald Trump in particular accused the Bundeswehr of putting too little money into the military and thus into NATO.
But this year things should be different.
The traffic light coalition proudly announced that, for the first time in many years, the financial obligations within the military alliance would be fully met.
But apparently this was just a brief flash in the pan.
Traffic light dispute over the Bundeswehr: Boris Pistorius discovers a new billion dollar hole
According to a report in
Bild am Sonntag,
Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is already struggling with a new billion-dollar hole in his budget.
He is said to have informed the traffic light representatives that the planned defense budget for the coming financial year 2025 is missing 4.5 to six billion euros in order to achieve the two percent target again.
There is already dissatisfaction among the Social Democrats about this.
But Finance Minister Christian Lindner has recently shown little willingness to further increase the Bundeswehr budget.
In view of the war in Ukraine and the tensions with Russia, the Bundeswehr is actually supposed to be reorganized.
A year and a half ago, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a turning point after years of austerity dictates.
Since then, more investments have been made in the procurement of weapons, ammunition and equipment.
Budget: NATO's two percent target is at risk again
Defense budgets are also a political issue within NATO.
Actually, each member of the alliance should spend two percent of its economic output on the military.
According to Secretary General Stoltenberg, 18 of the 31 member states will achieve this this year, with Germany being one of them for the first time in a long time, as
tagesschau.de
recently reported.
But maintaining high levels of investment will still pose problems for Germany in the long term.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP)'s financial planning envisages a volume of 52 billion for the Bundeswehr next year.
But according to calculations by the Ministry of Defense, this sum is not enough.
Current operations can be financed, writes
Bams
.
But only 500 million euros remained for investments (e.g. in new weapons) - not enough for the two percent target.
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That's why alarm bells are ringing in the SPD.
“Germany stands by its NATO allies.
To achieve this, the defense budget must increase by a mid-single-digit billion amount from 2025,” demanded SPD budget expert Andreas Schwarz in the tabloid.
According to reports, Minister Pistorius has already informed the Social Democratic MPs about the dire financial situation.
Weapons instead of social spending such as citizens' money and pensions: Lindner makes the SPD tremble
But the Ministry of Finance has recently shown little understanding for special requests.
Just last week, Christian Lindner (FDP) informed the traffic light departments in a newsletter that the established upper limits should not be changed.
The ministers now have until April 19th to submit their plans.
If you want to invest, you have to save elsewhere.
The Liberal has already made a proposal regarding the defense budget.
Lindner recently announced that it would also be conceivable to make savings in the social sector in terms of pensions or citizens' benefits - in favor of additional Bundeswehr billions.
But that cannot be done with the SPD.
“There will be no cuts in the social sector as counter-financing with the SPD.
We will never pit social security against military security,” SPD politician Schwarz made clear.
But the question is: What does the Chancellor want?
So far, Olaf Scholz has kept a low profile on the issue.
He made it clear at the Munich Security Conference three weeks ago that Germany would fulfill its obligations.
“Germany will invest two percent of its gross domestic product in defense this year and in the coming years, in the 1920s, the 1930s and beyond,” assured the head of government, according to
Spiegel
.
But he left it unclear where the money would come from.
(
jkf
)