A German employers’ association chief, Rainer Dulger, has expressed support for the ideas of the union and the SPD, suggesting that the old Bundestag should pass new debt to finance higher military expenditures. Dulger, the president of the Federal Association of German Employers (BDA), told the “Welt am Sonntag” that he can only approve of everything that serves the defensive capabilities of Germany.
It has always been clear that the special fund of 100 billion euros decided on three years ago would not be enough and an increase is therefore right, according to the BDA president.
To increase the special fund, a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag is required. As AfD and the Left now have a blocking minority in the future, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is considering holding a vote in the old Bundestag. However, the Greens’ faction leader, Katharina Dröge, has set conditions, calling for new debt not only for higher defense expenditures but also for infrastructure, education, climate protection and the economy.
“A deal like this is unacceptable” said the BDA chief, Dulger. “It’s about our collective security – how can one set conditions?” The SPD, meanwhile, urged the BDA to give up its demand for a minimum wage of 15 euros. If the statutory minimum wage were to be raised for the second time by law, the minimum wage commission would be dead, Dulger said. Nobody should then still talk about independence and tariff autonomy.