Election winner Friedrich Merz also trying to seal €500bn fund to revive economy before new parliament convenesGermany’s outgoing parliament is meeting on Thursday to debate the creation of a €500bn (£420bn) fund for infrastructure investment and radical changes in the country’s borrowing limits in order to boost defence spending.Friedrich Merz, whose conservatives won last month’s election and who is on the verge of becoming the new chancellor, wants to seal the funding deal before the new parliament convenes in less than two weeks. An expanded group of far-right and far-left MPs could oppose it in the new Bundestag, a so-called “blocking minority” Merz is keen to avoid. Continue reading...
Friedrich Merz is urging the Green party to support his plan to increase Germany's defense spending, offering to expand the plan's scope to include civil defense, intelligence spending, and climate protection funding. However, the Greens have expressed concerns about the lack of focus on climate policies and are demanding commitments to reforms and additional funding for social programs. The proposed changes to Germany's borrowing limits and a €500 billion infrastructure fund are facing opposition, and legal challenges have been filed. Merz argues that increased defense spending is crucial due to the situation in Ukraine.
