Germany wants to give its army the means it lacked. An exceptional fund of 100 billion euros has been approved by Parliament. It is a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in order to support a Bundeswehr whose means were no longer judged to be up to par.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault
“ Germany will soon have the largest conventional army in Europe in NATO »: Olaf Scholz’s recent statement is taking shape.
At the end of February, the Chancellor announced a turning point to modernize a German army that had been neglected in recent years. A fund of 100 billion euros was to be set up to give the Bundeswehr the means it lacks.
To make this fund sustainable, but also to prevent these 100 billion from increasing the budget deficit, a departure from the constitutional rule strictly limiting this deficit was necessary. The reform of the fundamental law was passed by a qualified majority; the ruling coalition won the necessary support from the Christian Democrats.
The distribution of the additional expenses allowed by the fund is already known. The air force will be the big beneficiary, with 40 billion allowing the purchase of planes and helicopters.
This modernization of the Bundeswehr must also go hand in hand with additional budgetary efforts to allow Germany to respect its commitments with regard to NATO, and to devote 2% of its gross domestic product to defense spending.
Moscow accuses Germany of “remilitarization” “We know how it can end,” said the spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. foreign. Does Olaf Scholz have a bunker under the chancellery?
—Pascal Thibaut (@pthibaut) June 3, 2022
” We take it as another confirmation that Germany has taken the path of remilitarizing the country, and we know only too well from history how this may end. »
Reaction of Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
► Listen again: In Germany, the arms industry does not know the crisis