The government wants to strengthen the Bundeswehr with 100 billion euros. However, there is still a need for clarification and disputes between the parties.
In the struggle for the planned special fund for the Bundeswehr, representatives of the Union and the Greens have called for a willingness to compromise and for haste.
“The Union should not block itself further,” said Green politician Anton Hofreiter of the “Rheinische Post”, with a view to the opposition faction’s resistance to the previously planned formulation of the traffic light government that the special fund should “strengthen the alliance and defense capability”. shall serve. The pressure of expectations on the part of the allies is great in many areas. “Therefore, there would be little understanding if the strengthening of alliance and defense capabilities did not play a role.”
The first parliamentary director of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei (CDU), accused the Greens of arguing ideologically in the struggle for the special fund. It’s time that “especially the Greens leave the ideology aside,” he told the newspaper. Despite the ongoing disagreements, he was optimistic “that we can reach an agreement on Sunday”. “We shouldn’t wait any longer, because it’s about nothing less than the security of our country,” said Frei.
Disputes about wording
Union faction Vice Mathias Middelberg renewed the Union’s demand for legal clarification that the special fund is used exclusively for the Bundeswehr. Finding a compromise in the wording of the Basic Law is difficult, Middelberg also told the “Rheinische Post”. “It must be clear that the special fund is used for the Bundeswehr, not for other purposes.”
The Federal Government wants to strengthen the Bundeswehr with the special program of 100 billion euros and thus close equipment gaps. The special fund is to be anchored in the Basic Law, which requires a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag and Bundesrat – so the CDU/CSU opposition must be brought on board. However, the Union has set conditions for approval. What is controversial is exactly what the money should be spent on.
