Faced with the threat of Russia, the government and the conservative opposition in Germany agreed on Sunday night to violate the budget rules of the federal constitution to release 100 billion euros to modernize the army.
A compromise was reached after difficult negotiations that lasted several weeks between the coalition parties – social democrats, ecologists and liberals – and the conservative political family of former chancellor Angela Merkel, AFP representatives said about these movements.
Disused equipment
The agreement will fulfill the promise made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the end of February after the outbreak of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. The German leader has promised to release a special fund of 100 billion euros to re-arm his country in the coming years and modernize the Bundeswehr, whose equipment is already dilapidated.
Thus Berlin will achieve the goal set by NATO to devote 2% of its national GDP to defense. This goal is achievable on average within a few yearsaccording to the text of the agreement obtained by the AFP.
Special funds
The extraordinary fund will be financed by the national debt. In order for the operation to be possible, it was necessary to avoid the rules stated in the country’s constitution regarding indebtedness brakes, which strictly limit the possibilities of budget deficits.
The government needs the support of the main opposition force, the CDU/CSU canners, to get the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to pass the measure.
100 billion euros will be paid to a special fundsoutside the national budget.
Negotiations have been difficult about the use of the money, but also about policy in Ukraine, where the government and the opposition have been fighting for weeks.
Conservatives have criticized the Social Democratic Chancellor for the timidity of his support for kyiv in the face of Russia in terms of arms delivery.
A significant turnaround
The release of 100 billion euros for the national army constitutes an important reversal for Germany which, in recent years, has been pulling on its feet to comply with the Atlantic Alliance promises. The country also regularly draws the wrath of the United States.
Since the end of the Cold War, Germany has reduced the size of its army, from about 500,000 when the country was reunited in 1990 to just 200,000 today.
In addition, military officers regularly complain of damage to their fighter planes, warships or tanks.
But the invasion of Ukraine has acted as an electric shock to a country full of pacifism since the horrors of the Nazis.
Source: Radio-Canada