Chancellor-in-waiting attempting to garner support for fiscal rule changes before new parliament convenesGermany’s would-be chancellor has attempted to win the support of the Greens for his proposed fiscal rule changes, offering to expand the scope of defence spending and demanding to know: “What more do you want from us?” The outgoing parliament is meeting to debate the creation of a €500bn (£420bn) fund for infrastructure investment and radical changes in Germany’s borrowing limits in order to boost defence spending. Continue reading...
Friedrich Merz is urging the Green party to specify their demands for supporting Germany's proposed increase in defence spending, which requires changes to fiscal rules. Merz offered to expand the scope of the plan to include civil defense, intelligence and climate protection. The Greens and other parties are critical of the plan due to concerns about climate policy and potential misuse of funds and are in tense debate with Merz. A far-right and far-left minority in the new Bundestag could block the spending plan.
