Berlin – Jens Spahn, the vice chairman of the German Union’s faction, does not rule out the possibility of reforming the debt brake with the existing majorities in the Bundestag.
According to Spahn, who spoke to RTL and ntv, a financial need exists, particularly in the German military and is expected to last until the 2030s. “The next chancellor, who will attend the NATO summit in The Hague in June, must be able to credibly argue for two plus X percent of the country’s gross domestic product for defense. Otherwise, we would not need to attend the meeting in Washington and that is something we are all aware of” Spahn said.
Spahn stated that the starting point for the discussions has been established and that he will engage in conversations with other parties, including the FDP and the Greens, as announced by Friedrich Merz. The outcome of these talks will be assessed in the coming weeks to determine if and what decisions will be made, Spahn added.
In the opinion of the CDU politician, the previous federal government failed to implement the necessary changes. “The red-green coalition and Olaf Scholz have failed, primarily in not truly implementing this turning point. Beyond the 100-billion-special fund for the German military, practically nothing has changed in the budget. The Germans were told that everything would continue as usual. This will not be the case” Spahn said.